More than 2,500 children qualify for the federal free or reduced-price meal program in the Shoreline School District. During the school week, most of these children depend on the meals their school offers. Sometimes, the meals at school are the only ones they get. When the school closes it doors on Friday afternoon, many of these children go home to empty cupboards and empty bellies for 65 hours until they return to school on Monday morning. Around the area, you’ll find many teachers who can tell you about a student who came to school on Monday, not reluctant to start the school week but eager to get back to school after going through Friday evening, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday without a square meal—or knowledge of a source for their next meal. Those children are the reason we started the Weekend Backpack Programs. 

The Weekend Backpack Programs ensure that children in need have balanced, nutritious food they need to learn and grow. The concept is simple: children at risk of weekend hunger receive a bag of food that is child-friendly, nutritious, nonperishable, and easy to prepare and eat. 

Each Backpack offers enough food that children can easily assemble into six healthy meals over the weekend when schools are unable to provide breakfasts or lunches. By partnering with churches, community organizations, school staff, and our local school district, the Backpacks are distributed to children in need through the schools—discreetly—each Friday afternoon or before a long holiday weekend. 

For students in need, the program:

• Provides nutrition

• Eases anxieties

• Reduces absenteeism

• Improves attention span

• Raises academic performance

• Increases self esteem