Blessings in a Backpack’s COVID-19 Response Effort
In these uncertain times, we wanted to reach out to you about what we are doing here at Blessings in a Backpack to support the children in our programs. As the situation around Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we are doing everything we can to address conditions as they arise.
 
Who will feed the kids when schools have closed, or closure is imminent?
 
There is no one-size-fits-all solution; options will vary greatly depending on the community.

Help Blessings in a Backpack continue to feed kids on the weekends during this public health emergency. At Blessings program locations across the country, we are striving to get extra bags to kids in case their school closes. For those already closed, we are working to identify a distribution process for that community.
 
Our response varies by school, impacted by factors such as:
  • The school’s closure schedule and food distribution plan
  • Public safety mandates and protocols
  • Food availability in the region
 
At Blessings in a Backpack, we mobilize communities, individuals, and resources to provide food on the weekend to kids who might otherwise go hungry. Because of this mission, we have witnessed the power of communities when they come together toward a common goal. It is because of this experience that we are confident our country will find the strength to weather this storm together.
Blessings Programs in Action:
In Charlotte, N.C., program coordinator Debbie Porter responded to the potential school closings in her area by exceeding the normal activities of a Blessings in a Backpack program. To ensure that kids at her school have food to eat, she packed and delivered enough bags to the school to last the kids until mid-May! If the school closes, kids will now take home as much as they can so they have food on the weekends while they’re not in class. Thank you, Debbie, for going above and beyond!
In Frederick, Md., the Blessings program has responded to the closing of schools statewide by pulling together enough food to last each of their 3,100 kids for five days; that’s 100,000 food items! The program accomplished this by mobilizing their community and utilizing their “Blizzard Bags” (typically reserved for snow days), emergency snack packs, and doubling up on their normally scheduled bags. On March 12, 2020, kids even went home with a fresh apple! A local partner, Dublin Roasters Coffee, has offered to serve as a distribution hub for future bags. Kids in Frederick are in good hands!