How Backpack Programs Fill Students’ Hunger Gaps on Weekends & other Short School Breaks
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Many government and private programs have rallied around the issue of food insecurity among school-aged children in the United States. Long-standing programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) have been mainstays for addressing the food and nutrition needs of schoolchildren. [FN1] The federal government helps states to provide meals to children through the NSLP and the SBP. The food and nutrition service of the United States Department of Agriculture administers both of these programs in order to ensure that all eligible children receive a healthy breakfast and lunch while at school or in childcare. The NSLP was signed into law in 1946 by President Truman, while congress established the SBP as a two-year pilot program in 1966, and it received permanent authorization in 1975. [FN1] These programs have been used in great numbers. Participation in the NSLP has declined slightly over the past decade, but still serves approximately 30 million students per day. Conversely, participation in the SBP has risen, serving nearly 15 million students daily in 2019. [FN1]
“Backpacks” are non-governmental programs designed to address the gaps in access to food over the weekend or on breaks, when students are not in school. Backpack programs pick up where NSLP and SBPs leave off. They bolster the help already accessible and ideally allow the children to return to school on Monday stronger and ready to learn. The federal and state programs are serving many children on weekdays, but there has been growing concern about the hunger gap left over the weekend for these students. This is why the idea of “backpack” programs entered the picture.
Feeding America is perhaps one of the best known and largest organizations dedicated to combatting many aspects of food insecurity, including delivery of backpack programs. [FN3] The backpack program provides families with free groceries for weekends and school breaks. They generally include breakfast items, easy to prepare meals, milk or juice, fresh or canned fruit and vegetables, and snacks. Many food banks partner with schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, and community centers to distribute these backpacks to kids.
Backpack programs of the Feeding America network must provide packs at least once a month to each student. However, most programs distribute backpacks every week on Fridays or the day before a school break. While summer is usually a time when backpacks are not distributed, some organizations host other summer meal programs. [FN3]
There are currently over 11,000 backpack programs in the Feeding America network, so there is a good chance that families can find one nearby. Asking at the child’s school or local food bank is a good start. [FN3] Beyond that, going to the Feeding America website and entering a zip code is another way to narrow down programs within close proximity. Using the link provided below is a way to check availability.
Find Your Nearest Backpack Program
In addition to the programs under the umbrella of Feeding America, there are scores of independent backpack programs that offer this service in their local areas. These programs are able to focus on needs that are specific to smaller populations. For example, they may partner with certain school districts to get a well-grounded sense of demand; and on the supply side, they can receive donations and funds from corporate sponsors or through partnering with businesses that would otherwise discard unused food. These groups generally promote their services through their local schools and through neighborhood activities, newsletters, and other communications. [FN2]
Distribution of the backpacks needs to be handled in a thoughtful manner in order to prevent recipients from feeling singled out among their peers. Most schools and community partners are sensitized to this issue and adapt their practice to students’ individual situations. Some programs use a child’s eligibility for the NSLP and SBP programs as qualifications for the backpack programs, but others have found that these families are reluctant to step forward for the additional assistance. Because of this, many schools and community partners have opted to lift all restrictions on their programs and now encourage self-referrals. Another strategy has been to get school counselors and other staff that are familiar to the children involved in the backpack program operations, on a volunteer basis. [FN2] To further avoid students feeling singled out or ashamed, schools and community partners develop deliveries in ways that minimize attention. Examples are bringing in students individually/or staggering times to receive their backpacks items -- without creating long and visible lines. [FN2]
How to Help Support the Backpack Programs
Regardless of which kind of backpack program is in your area, there are many ways to support them. Many programs rely on volunteers to pack backpacks, set up distributions, and pass out backpacks to the students. In 2020, backpack programs in the Feeding America network alone served over 52 million packs. [FN3] Donations to Feeding America, local food banks or independent backpack programs go a long way to providing valuable resources to the students and families they serve. Help can also come in the form of becoming a Backpack Program host. Those wishing to offer a backpack site will need to determine whether coordinating through a local food bank, Feeding America, or developing a program of their own would be the best option.
Student food insecurity is a complex and layered problem. There still need to be efforts to uncover and address the root causes of this issue, but as with most complex multi-layered problems, clues to success often appear when these problems are addressed from many angles, sometimes on an experimental basis. Knowing that hunger doesn’t take a day off, backpack programs fill in an important gap: they lower distracting food-related anxiety and improve students’ ability to focus on learning and completing schoolwork.
Resources and Notes
2. https://www.backpacksociety.org/
3. https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/hunger-relief-programs/backpack-program