A young girl with a backpack on holding books in a school hallway.

Hunger Doesn’t Take the Weekend Off

Our mission is to improve the lives of students affected by food insecurity in Baltimore by delivering bags of nutritious and child-friendly food to schools weekly.

1 in 3 Baltimore students experience food insecurity.

Food insecurity refers to the condition of experiencing uncertain or inadequate access to nutritious food.

1,800

Students and their families supported each week. Each bag provides food for three to four people for the weekend.

Three young boys standing outside smiling and holding bags of food.

37,960

Children in Baltimore experience food insecurity. Students receive free breakfast and lunch in school, but lack access to consistent healthy foods throughout the weekend. Weekend Backpacks bridges this gap.

Eight young students standing in front of their school smiling and holding plastic bags of food.

50+

Community Schools partner with us. These schools provide additional support and services like ours to fit each neighborhood’s needs.

Get Involved

We are a primarily volunteer driven organization – it takes almost 200 volunteers a month to fulfill our mission. We welcome support from individuals, organizations, businesses and donors. Learn about all of the various ways you can get involved.

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Volunteer

Whether it’s packing the food, driving to schools, or sharing your professional talents, each person can make a difference.

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Partner

Looking for a way your company, organization, or school can get involved? Schedule a volunteer experience, sponsor our event, or hold a collection drive.

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Support

When you give and volunteer, you help students become more food secure. Your time, energy and financial support will go far!

Find out what’s in our bags

We prioritize balancing nutrition, variety, and kid-friendliness in each bag. Check out some of our typical menus and additional materials.

See what’s happening

Keep up to date with the latest. Read about our most recent updates, news, and events here.

Ravens players, cheerleaders, and mascot in front of the Weekend Backpacks' van

Meet Our Van

09 September 2024

The Ravens Love a Good Caw-s! Which is why they joined us to distribute our weekly bags of food and backpacks of school supplies and officially unveil our van!

Media Coverage
Read Post Meet Our Van
Food for thought. Hunger doesn't take the weekend off

Fall 2024 Newsletter

10 October 2024

Keep up to date with Weekend Backpacks with our Fall 2024 Newsletter.

Newsletters
Read Post Fall 2024 Newsletter
Cases of mini beef ravioli with a news chyron saying: Local nonprofit packing up essentials to help students in need succeed at school.

WJZ’s School Supplies Segment

08 August 2024

WJZ included Weekend Backpacks in their series on local organizations distributing school supplies to students in Baltimore. They joined us as Rosedale Federal packed 800 backpacks. This year, we packed and delivered over 3,000 backpacks to students throughout more than 50 schools!

Media Coverage
Read Post WJZ’s School Supplies Segment
People around tables packing ziploc bags of snacks.

Snack Packing at ECS Limited

07 July 2024

ECS is a multi-year supporter of Weekend Backpacks. They pack snacks regularly, sponsor our chefs event, and support schools for our backpacks filled with school supplies. ECS packed 600 bags of snack items to be added to our weekly bags. Christy Keppel joined them and answered questions about Weekend Backpacks, food insecurity, and volunteering in general. Thank you, ECS, for providing these fun extras for our students!

Supporter Spotlight
Read Post Snack Packing at ECS Limited
pink ice cream truck

Volunteer Appreciation Event

06 June 2024

In the 2023-2024 school year our volunteers put in over 5,000 hours of work to fulfill our mission. We couldn’t do it without them and to show our appreciation we had Deddle’s Mini Donuts come bring coffee and freshly made donuts. Thank you to all of our volunteers for their hard work!

Volunteers
Read Post Volunteer Appreciation Event
Young students sitting at a table with their lunches.

Make a donation today

Our average bag costs $12. Every donation increases our impact and supports another student for school readiness!