Backpack Buddies
Providing Food for Schoolchildren in Need
Due to rising poverty levels in the Atlanta area, more and more individuals and families can barely make ends meet; many are homeless, living in shelters, short term motels, cars or with other families. Some studies show that one in six children in America goes hungry. When schools are in session, school breakfasts, lunches and snack programs address this crisis. However, the weekend remains a difficult time for many families because they are unable to consistently purchase and provide nutritious food.
Assistance League of Atlanta’s newest program, Backpack Buddies, fills the weekend hunger gap by providing food for students who might otherwise lack meals over the weekend. These students, selected by school counselors, take home on Fridays a backpack of healthy meals and snacks, making it possible for each student to return to school on Monday mornings fed and ready to learn.
Member volunteers purchase, store, and pack the food into plastic bags and deliver them to the school where parent volunteers fill the backpacks and hand them out. The students return the backpacks on Monday in order to receive food the following Friday. By the end of the 2024-2025 school year 3,300 bags were supplied to students at Norcross Elementary in Gwinnett County and Dresden Elementary in Dekalb County.
Assistance League of Atlanta is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and donations are tax deductible.
Testimonials