Partnership
New School Backpack Program Expands to Four Title I Schools
For too many children, Friday afternoon is the start of two long, hungry days. Our expanded weekend backpack program is changing that — one backpack at a time.
Ask any school counselor about the hardest day of the week, and most will give you the same answer: Monday morning. Not because of the obvious back-to-school grogginess, but because of the children who arrive at school hungrier than they left it on Friday. For students who depend on free breakfast and lunch, the weekend is a 60-hour stretch with very little food.
Our weekend backpack program is a quiet, dignified response to that reality. Every Friday afternoon, children enrolled in the program receive a backpack — discreet, identical to any other school bag — quietly tucked into their belongings before they go home. Inside: kid-friendly, shelf-stable food designed to last through Sunday night.
Four new schools, 380 new children
Thanks to a generous matching gift from a community foundation and the leadership of the Berkeley County School District, we're expanding into four additional Title I elementary schools this semester. That's 380 additional children who will go home each Friday with a weekend's worth of food.
- Cross Elementary School — 95 students enrolled
- Whitesville Elementary School — 110 students enrolled
- Bonner Elementary School — 88 students enrolled
- Foxbank Elementary School — 87 students enrolled
What's in a backpack
Each backpack contains six meals plus snacks — designed to be prepared by a child with minimal adult supervision. We work with school nurses and pediatric nutritionists to ensure every item is balanced, allergen-conscious, and culturally appropriate.
- 2 single-serve cereals + shelf-stable milk
- 2 microwave-ready entrées (mac & cheese, pasta, soup)
- Fresh fruit + applesauce cups
- Granola bars, crackers, and trail mix
- 100% juice boxes and a bottle of water
"I had a third-grader thank me on a Monday because his little sister got to eat breakfast on Saturday for the first time in a long while. You don't forget a sentence like that."
How you can sponsor a child
A weekend backpack costs us $7 to assemble. A full school year of backpacks for one child is $252 — less than the cost of a single tank of gas each month. Sponsorships are 100% tax-deductible and 100% of your gift funds a child's food.
If you'd like to sponsor a child, a classroom, or an entire school, get in touch — we'll match you with a school in the county closest to your heart.
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