What is the Weekend Backpack Program?
The Weekend Backpack Program provides meals for students at Ginter Park Elementary School who, being in a financially distressed household may not have food at home on the weekend. 97% of students at GPES are eligible for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program and are therefore eligible to be a part of our program.
Initially, the program used backpacks to distribute the food, but we found it difficult and time consuming to retrieve the empty backpacks from students each week to refill. Although we shifted to paper bags, the name stuck around!
How does the program work?
At the beginning of the school year, the Principal and Communities in School Coordinator will determine which students receive the backpacks. Church volunteers purchase food each week using money from a designated fund. Backpacks are packed each Sunday as an extension of worship. They are then delivered to the school on Thursday for distribution to the student Thursday or Friday afternoon. Volunteers are need to shop, pack, and deliver food. Everyone is welcome to pitch in!
How is it funded?
The program is funded primarily through individual donor contributions. In the first year of this program, 2014, we were able to sponsor two students for the school year. In our second year, we increased the number of students sponsored to fifteen. For the 2019-20 school year, we are providing backpacks for 36 students! The pack provides food to the child for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack for the weekend. The cost of a backpack of food is approximately $600 per student for the school year. We also hope to increase the number of children fed through partnerships with the larger community.
How do I contribute?
Dixie Leathers is the program coordinator and can answer questions about volunteering. You can reach her through the church office (804-359-2475, gpbc@ginterparkbc.org).
To make a financial contribution, send a check to Ginter Park Baptist with a designation to the “Backpack Program.” You may also make an gift online. Please indicate your desire that the funds go to the Weekend Backpack Program.
Your prayers for the program are important, so please pray for the students and their families as well as the faculty and staff of Ginter Park Elementary.