The Need
The prevalence of food insecurity in Baltimore and its effects on learning drives Weekend Backpacks’ mission. We address food insecurity, which is a USDA term referring to the household- level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Whereas hunger is an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity.
There are many causes of food insecurity including poverty, unemployment, unaffordable housing, racism and discrimination, and lack of availability of food. Many Baltimore residents live in what are sometimes called food deserts, which are referred to by the government as Healthy Food Priority Areas. This map shows these areas by severity, which helps paint a picture of food insecurity in Baltimore.
The Bags
Our bags are designed to provide meals for a student and their family over the weekend, when they don’t have the reliable access to food that they have at school during the week. Our bags provide food for a family of three or four for a weekend.
We believe in following the principles of food equity however possible – if you are replacing the problem of food insecurity with that of poor nutrition then you aren’t really serving the community. Therefore we prioritize nutrition and variety in every one of our bags.
In addition to the weekly food bags, we offer four supplemental programs to the students we serve throughout the year.
School Supplies
In the fall, students receive a backpack filled with age-appropriate school supplies.
Winter Accessories
In the winter, we collect hats, gloves, scarves, and socks for the students.
Mother's Day Gift
We celebrate the special women in these children’s lives with a small gift and card on Mother’s Day.
Summer Activities
At the beginning of summer, students receive an enrichment bag with fun and educational activities.
The Food
We are proud to be a partner of the Maryland Food Bank. We procure food through them, using their purchasing power to buy things directly from manufacturers at below retail price. The Maryland Food Bank is also able to supply the large quantities that we need, about 70,000 pounds of food a month, and delivers to us for free!
The bags themselves are assembled by volunteers throughout the week. We utilize an assembly line system for our volunteers to pack the bags. It takes about 75 volunteer hours to pack and deliver a week’s worth of deliveries.
Partner Schools
Weekend Backpacks is proud to partner with more than 50 schools throughout Baltimore City. All of our partners are community schools, a designation created by state legislation which comes with additional funding specifically designed to improve the school and its surrounding community. Community schools provide support to the families of their students by connecting them with and supplying local resources such as social services, after-school programs, job placement assistance, food assistance, and more. These schools act as community hubs and we are proud to work with them.
Weekend Backpack Partner Schools
The Delivery
Volunteers deliver to most of our schools. They arrive at our facility Thursday morning, load their cars, and head to their assigned school. Staff use our Weekend Backpacks cargo van to deliver to schools that receive larger quantities of bags. The schools then distribute the bags directly to students on Fridays for the weekend.