School breakfast and lunch end on Friday. For many Chester County students, so does reliable food — until a discreet backpack of weekend meals goes home with them.
Free and reduced-price school meals keep many children fed Monday through Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are a different story — empty cupboards, skipped breakfasts, and Monday mornings spent thinking about food instead of math.
Teachers and counselors in Chester County quietly identify students who need weekend support. Families facing job loss, medical bills, or simply wages that do not stretch to Sunday dinner rarely ask for help out loud. A backpack program meets them with care, not scrutiny.
Each pack is filled with kid-friendly, shelf-stable meals and snacks a child can prepare alone if needed — because not every household has an adult home all weekend, and no child should go hungry waiting for Monday.
Every Friday during the school year, Volunteer Coordinator Linda Parker and a rotating crew of packers assemble backpacks at our Chester site. School partners then place them discreetly in backpacks or cubbies so students go home with dignity intact.
We currently serve 120 children across four Chester County schools. Contents are chosen for nutrition, ease, and familiarity — nothing that singles a child out at the lunch table on Monday.
Program Director Sandra Johnson works with counselors each semester to adjust caseloads as families stabilize or new needs emerge.
Your gift means a student returns to class Monday fed, focused, and free from the quiet worry of an empty fridge at home.
Packed every Friday during the school year
Serves 120 children across 4 Chester County schools
Packing site: 669 Charity Road, Chester, SC 29706
One of my students used to come back Mondays exhausted and quiet. After the backpacks started, she raised her hand again. Food changes everything.
Prefer not to give online? Here are four other ways to fund weekend backpacks.
Sponsor a child for a month of weekends with a recurring gift. Choose "Monthly" in the donation form, or email us to arrange bank drafting.
Kid-friendly shelf-stable meals, juice boxes, granola bars, and individual protein packs are always needed. Email us to arrange a drop-off at our Chester location.
