Blessings in a Backpack was incorporated in 2008 with a mission to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. They have grown into the only national organization solely dedicated to closing the weekend hunger gap for food insecure students.

Starting with 25 kids at one Waukesha school in 2012, the Waukesha Chapter now feeds approximately 2,000 students in grades K4-5, in Waukesha, Hartland, Sussex Oconomowoc and Wales. In partnership with dedicated volunteer teams, donors, and community partners, Blessings sent home nearly 70,000 bags of food with kids in Waukesha county during the 2019-2020 school year.

Each Blessings bag includes multiple items of kid-friendly, nutritious food. This food helps the kids keep hunger at bay and return to school on Monday morning feeling nourished and ready to learn. To ensure a consistent source of nutritional, shelf-stable, individual serving size foods that kids can prepare themselves, most food is purchased.

The Waukesha County chapter of Blessings were the grateful recipients of a bag fill organized by Nature’s Path team members at their Sussex, WI plant in November 2019. The  kids in their program received a full reusable grocery bag with a week’s worth of donated organic products, including EnviroKidz cereal, Nature's Path breakfast biscuits, and Love Crunch granola bars. 

Impact of COVID-19

When schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Blessings adapted and distributed bags of weekend nutrition aligning with the school’s weekday food distribution system or by working with other community organizations, such as Scout troops, Boys & Girls Clubs, companies and families.  Blessings distribution typically ends when  the school year ends. However, this year due to the pandemic and the financial burden it has created for so many families, Blessings has continued to provide food, every week, for 1,100 children in Waukesha and Oconomowoc, in conjunction with the school lunch programs.

Why Give?

Nearly 15,000 children under the age of 17 in Waukesha County are food insecure. Blessings strives to continue to grow our program so that we may reach as many of these children as possible. Your contribution allows Blessings to reach more children who live with food insecurity. 

In this past school year, Blessings' Waukesha County chapter has spent $17,442 on conventional fruit bars alone (at $0.27 each for 1700 students for 38 weeks). If Blessings were to receive the equivalent in Nature’s Path organic products, they could expand their program and provide a bag of food to 145 more students in the area this upcoming school year. 

For the remainder of 2020, your contribution will have an even greater impact than ever before.  Nature’s Path will match every $1 donated to Blessings in a Backpack Waukesha County through Eat Well Do Good with $5 worth of healthy, organic food.