(1/2023) Seldom do we think about the students that leave school on Friday afternoon and do not know when they will eat next. Sometimes, these students won’t have another meal until that Monday, when they return to school for breakfast or lunch. In Frederick County specifically, more than 13,300 kids are uncertain if they will have enough food to last them the weekend. Although this statistic is heartbreaking, the Frederick chapter of Blessings in a Backpack feeds these students and ensures that they have enough meals and snacks to eat in between Friday and Monday.
Blessings in a Backpack is a nonprofit, donation- and volunteer-driven organization that stands as a national program but serves individual chapters all across the country. In Frederick County alone, Blessings in a Backpack serves close to 4,000 local kids in 30 schools, all elementary. Essentially, students will receive a package of food sent with them home on Friday. The package is put in their backpack to ensure that they have a meal and snacks over the weekend. Students who qualify for this program are on free and reduced meals, and families on the edge of poverty levels.
Shannon Kelley, school coordinator for Blessings in a Backpack, works with Walkersville Elementary School, and represents the cluster of Walkersville, Glade, and Rock Creek. Shannon has been volunteering with Blessings in a Backpack for the past five years, and at Walkersville Elementary alone, she helps feed 250 kids over the weekend. At Glade she helps feeds 120 kids, and at Rock Creek, she helps feed 125 kids.
"It’s a pretty quick, smooth process," Shannon says. Students grab their "Friday Friends" bags when they get excused as the buses are called. "It doesn’t need to be a big thing," she notes, ensuring that the biggest priority is that students get fed. "It’s almost like an underground program. People don’t realize that it’s here and in the school. When people hear about it, and how many children we serve, they are very surprised."
The program is so well-developed and effective that when COVID-19 hit in March 2020, Blessings in a Backpack was back to giving out food within a month. "Families that were coming were so appreciative," says Shannon. "We got thank you notes from kids for giving them extra food, because families were in such turmoil since parents weren’t working." During the pandemic, Shannon found that interactions with the students through this program were more personable.
This year, Walkersville’s Blessings in a Backpack needed funding from town commissioners. For the past two years, there were two federal grants in place that helped the program. The income level was lowered by about $5,000, and families that were getting help were suddenly not qualified. Additionally, in 2022, there was an increased need in Frederick County. Shannon notes that the program coordinators look at their numbers and what they expect for the year. This year, students increased by 10%, so the organization rightfully prepared for this change. Town commissioners voted to give Blessings in a Backpack extra money, which then cleared the wait list, and allowed all students to have access to weekend meals.
Although individual Blessings in a Backpack chapters will get grants, the community of Walkersville specifically gets public donations and food donated from different companies. For example, on November 4th, the Frederick Chick-fil-A staff spent their Sunday off packing 500+ bags of food for the chapter. Additionally, volunteers will hold packing events for blizzards and inclement weather, calling the packages "blizzard bags" for students who might be out of school longer than the normal weekend. The annual blizzard bag packing event was held on November 17th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mad Fitness Gym.
One of the most enthusiastic events sponsored by Blessings in a Backpack was the Ravens Watch Party held on October 16th from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Walkersville Fire Department. While the Ravens vs. Giants game was playing on the big screen, and during several family-friendly activities such as a kid’s zone and a beer garden, volunteers packed bonus bags for the elementary school students in need. "It was great to see the kids being involved in it," Shannon says when reflecting on the number of elementary and middle school students who participated in packing meals for their peers. Events like this help to erase the stigma present in students who struggle with food insecurity. The Ravens Watch Party helped raise over $11,800 to help feed kids in Frederick.
"We’re a comfortable community, but still, people need help. Blessings in a Backpack is the way to keep doing that," says Shannon. When asked what is worth mentioning most about the program, she notes her gratefulness to the town commissioners in Walkersville. "They went out of their way to give money," she says. "They could have easily said that it wasn’t their responsibility, but it’s amazingly generous that they responded so quickly with it." Shannon had communicated with several commissioners about the organization and was impressed with how they wanted to help.
In the 2021-2022 school year, 4,200 students were served in Frederick, with 2,500 volunteer hours logged. Additionally, there were 129,231 hunger-free weekends experienced by students. The Frederick County chapter of Blessings in a Backpack also plans to hold several events throughout the school year, including the Blizzard Bag Packing mentioned, as well as a Giving Tuesday event on November 29th to raise $10,000, as well as a Race to Feed Frederick on March 30th, 2023. On average, volunteers in Frederick pack approximately 3,100 bags each week. The enthusiasm and pride in this organization displays a wonderful sense of community, both throughout Frederick and within the community of Walkersville.
It costs $130 to feed a single child each weekend for an entire school year. In order to contribute, you can donate, too! Donations payable to Blessings in a Backpack, Frederick Chapter may be sent directly to P.O. Box 3508, Frederick, MD 21705-3508. You may also donate online through their secure page at www.frederick.blessingsinabackpack.org/donate , and you can request additional information via email angelaa@blessingsinabackpack.org.
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