Weekend BackPack Food Program, Inc.

The BackPack Weekend Food Program, Inc. provides hungry children in Gaston County Schools with a plastic bag of nonperishable, individually-portioned, nutritionally-balanced food to take home in their backpacks on the weekend when school meals are not available. Those students most likely to be hungry on the weekend are identified by school counselors, social workers, teachers, school nurses, and principals.

The program is now in the 7th year of operation. In the 2016-2017 academic year, the program provided over 224,000 meals to over 950 students. Operating funds come from partner churches, partner organizations, donations, grants, and fundraisers. The program relies upon volunteers to work in the warehouse by sorting and distributing the food and partnering with many churches and organizations who pack and deliver the food weekly to their partner school.