Children's Backpack Weekend Meals Program (2023-2024)
How can a child concentrate on solving a math problem or spelling a new word when they can’t ignore the constant hunger pangs rumbling in their stomach because they haven’t had a real meal all weekend long? The Food Now Children’s Backpack Weekend Meals Program is a cooperative effort between Food Now and the Palm Springs Unified School District to address childhood hunger and help feed hungry kids on the weekends.
Food Now partners with local elementary schools to provide chronically hungry children, identified by schoolteachers, counselors, and staff, with additional nutritional support for them to take home on weekends.
Food Now provides backpacks loaded with the equivalent of the meals children would normally receive from school during the week but do not have access to on weekends. Backpacks are filled with a weekend supply of shelf-stable, easy open, and age-appropriate food items based on USDA recommendations for a healthy diet.
Contact: Dana Johnson
Email: dana@foodnowdhs.org
