AVONDALE – AUBURN HILLS
PACKING INFORMATION
Meadows Learning Center
1435 Auburn Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
Room 105
Wednesday at 12:30 pm
To volunteer: Email Us
To sign-up to pack backpacks, go to our Sign-up Genius page.
STEERING COMMITTEE
Chairperson:
Janelle Tischer
Fund Raising Chair
Lindsay Goebel
Assistant Fundraiser
Susan Jackson
Skill Coordinator
Julie Jones
SFL Corporate Partner
Annette McAvoy
Avondale Public Relations
Kim Nash
Avondale Schools Representative
Chip Tischer
Avondale School Board Representative
Gary Wade
Inventory
Kessie Kaltsounis
Chair Emeritus
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
With 30% of students in the Avondale School District living in homes with incomes below the poverty line, childhood hunger is a reality in our community. These are your neighbors, and because of the economic hardships for these families many of their kids do not have food on the weekends. Our organization feeds 350 hunger-insecure Avondale children who would otherwise go hungry on the weekends; Nearly 90% of those are elementary aged students.
In November 2023 we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of our program. Since our program’s inception we have packed over 160,000 bags of food. We estimate this school year we will have provided over 1 MILLION meals since we have begun helping the Avondale community. Our Program is managed through the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester and funded through grants, patron/organizational contributions, and corporate partners.
The work our organization is doing is making a difference in the lives of Avondale kids!
Kid + Food + Backpack = Happy Healthy Kids
- 78% of kids feel cared for by their community.
- 71% of kids feel that Blessings in a Backpack is helping their family.
- 60% of kids have fewer behavioral issues.
- 59% of kids find it easier to learn at school.
To continue the success of our program, we rely on grants, patron/organizational contributions, and corporate partners. Our operating budget is $38,500 each school year. A yearly donation of $140 will provide a backpack full of food for one child every weekend (6 meals) for an entire school year.
NAME that TUNE
October 15, 2023
Whiskey Rae’s
Service First Logistics (SFL) is hosting a Name the Tune to benefit Blessings in a Backpack Avondale. It is to be held on Sunday, October15, 2023 at Whiskey Rae’s, located at 2086 Crooks Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309. The ticket price includes dinner at 6 pm. With the Name that Tune Contest starting at 7 pm. Form your own team of eight or we will group you with other music lovers to form a team. Tickets if purchased by October 5, 2023, are $30 per Adult and $18 for a Child accompanied by an adult. After the 5th and at the door tickets will be $35. Cash prizes for the winning team.
Order your tickets early. Last year we had to turn people away at the door as we had reached capacity.
Click here to view the Event Flyer
Click here to view the Sponsorship Flyer
Besides sending backpacks home each week the Blessings in a Backpack-Avondale program has established a Snack Pantry. Students in the district do not always have a snack to bring during the week from home. The steering committee saw this need and developed an Amazon Wish List to help fill our pantry. It’s very easy to add Blessings items right into your shopping cart and the items you purchase come directly to our pantry. Thank you for considering!
Blessings in a Backpack-Avondale was not able to hold its two fundraisers in the spring of 2021. Over half of the money necessary to sustain the Avondale program comes from these two events. We would like to thank the companies and organizations who stepped forward this spring for the children in their communities . Their contributions when totaled will feed over Read More…