in a Backpack
A Difference
Just Food
are more likely to attend school and are able to take advantage of educational opportunities.
Blessings in a Backpack of Michigan
Blessings In a Backpack is a “neighbor-helping-neighbor” program that is designed to help meet the nutritional needs of school-age children.
Each week, volunteers, in cooperation with school officials, distribute backpacks filled with enough non-perishable food for the weekend (six meals) to “hunger insecure” school-age children. These students are participants in the government subsidized Free or Reduced Fee Lunch Program.
The goal of the Blessings in a Backpack program is to keep these children from going hungry on the weekends and remove barriers to academic success.
You can support Blessings in a Backpack by participating in one of our upcoming events.
October 9 – 5th Avenue Night Out
Blessings in a Backpack – Clarkston
October 15 – Name that Tune
Blessings in a Backpack – Avondale
October 22 – Halloween Run Against Hunger
Blessings in a Backpack – Utica
November 3 – Trivia Night – The 80’s
Blessings in a Backpack – West Bloomfield/Keego Harbor
November 9 – Trivia Night – A Night at the Movies
Blessings in a Backpack – Warren
December 7 – Ladies Christmas Dinner
Blessings in a Backpack – Feed the Shores
HIGHLIGHT
Announcing a new program for Taylor:
At the beginning of February, a meeting was held to discuss the steps to bring the Blessings in a Backpack program to Taylor. The meeting was held and after approval of the School Board at a special meeting on February 8, 2023, the outcome was to form Blessings in a Backpack-Taylor, a community-based program to assist hunger-insecure school-age children.
There are 4,180 children attending the Taylor School District who can benefit from the Blessings in a Backpack program. This is 61% of the student enrollment. The district serves students from Taylor and portions of the surrounding communities of Brownstown, Dearborn Heights, Inkster and Westland.
In March 2023 we will start sending weekend food home to hunger-insecure children at Myers Elementary. As funds become available, the goal is to grow the Blessings in a Backpack program to serve additional schools within the Taylor School District until all the schools are participating. To help this program reach its goals, please donate so we can assist all of the children who need our help. There will be volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups, or companies to assist with packing and transportation so please consider doing so to help your communities children.
COMMUNITY PARTNER
The Children’s Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded 89 grants in 2023.
Combined, these awards total more than $3.8 million to support projects in the Community Benefit, Research, and Education pillars. Since 2011, The Foundation has granted $80 million to partners in our community.
The Children’s Foundation remains dedicated to the health and well-being of children and their families by working collaboratively with other organizations in the community.
We are grateful to the @ChildrensFndn for supporting first time partner Blessings in a Backpack-Michigan which is improving nutritional wellness for over 5,000 children in twenty communities in southeastern Michigan.
Did you know that 6.5 million families were food insecure in 2021?
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Christian Financial Credit Union selected Blessings in a Backpack as the non-profit where their employees would volunteer their time for the months of March and April 2023. The Credit Union sent five employees on Tuesday and Wednesday for nine weeks to assist the Blessings in a Backpack-Warren program. Forty-six employees took part in the packing and many came back two and three times. Christian Financial Credit Union’s main offices are located a short distance from the Warren packing site. This allowed their employees to leave work help pack bags for 900 children and be back before lunch to continue their work day. Marge Racine the Co-Chair for Blessings in a Backpack-Warren said “The employees from Christian Financial Credit Union were very enthusiastic and very helpful. It allowed all the volunteers to be completed with packing each week in under two hours.
The employees of Christian Financial Credit Union also participated in Jean’s Day in the months of March and April. The money raised from these days was present to Blessings in a Backpack. Thank you again, Christian Financial Credit Union for partnering with Blessings in a Backpack. We look forward to a continued relationship with your institution and employees.
