About
Currently 25% of the school-age children, in our community, qualify for the free/reduced breakfast and lunch program and therefore may be at risk of food insecurity. This is a real issue, right here, right now in our community. Teachers are noticing children coming to school on Monday mornings hungry, lethargic and definitely not ready to learn due to not having their nutritional needs met when they did not have access to meals they receive at school.
But we, as a community, are doing something about this!
Blessings in a Backpack is a national organization that is currently in 42 states including Michigan. Blessings in a Backpack-Lake Orion is a committee of parents, local business owners, community members and educators operating in partnership with the national Blessings in a Backpack organization, and Meijer to provide at risk students with a backpack containing six nutritious meals to feed them over the weekend.
Back in late 2012, when Blessings in a Backpack - Lake Orion first formed, the first objective was to raise $24,000 i.e. the cost to give the program sustainability in the initial two schools - Blanche Sims Elementary and Pine Tree Elementary. This money was raised through a concerted fundraising effort beginning in 2013. On Wednesday April 10th, 2013, we packed our first backpacks, and these were delivered to go home with students on Friday, April 12th! Since then, we have raised sufficient funds to add all Lake Orion elementary schools plus the three middle schools!
Over the past many years, we have been thankful to be able to provide weekend support for all of our elementary and middle school students. who qualify. We have added support for our high school students and our summer school programs. Through the coming months and years, we need to keep raising funds to finance the program and feed our Lake Orion children.
We currently pack over 400 bags of food each week!
You can help make a difference for the children in our Lake Orion Community
We reach out to all members of the Orion Community - parents, local businesses, community members. You can help in so many ways - volunteering your time (a lot of bags of food need to be packed!), fundraising, donating resources, monetary donations to name a few.
$175 will provide a backpack and food to one child each weekend for an entire school year!
But we, as a community, are doing something about this!
Blessings in a Backpack is a national organization that is currently in 42 states including Michigan. Blessings in a Backpack-Lake Orion is a committee of parents, local business owners, community members and educators operating in partnership with the national Blessings in a Backpack organization, and Meijer to provide at risk students with a backpack containing six nutritious meals to feed them over the weekend.
Back in late 2012, when Blessings in a Backpack - Lake Orion first formed, the first objective was to raise $24,000 i.e. the cost to give the program sustainability in the initial two schools - Blanche Sims Elementary and Pine Tree Elementary. This money was raised through a concerted fundraising effort beginning in 2013. On Wednesday April 10th, 2013, we packed our first backpacks, and these were delivered to go home with students on Friday, April 12th! Since then, we have raised sufficient funds to add all Lake Orion elementary schools plus the three middle schools!
Over the past many years, we have been thankful to be able to provide weekend support for all of our elementary and middle school students. who qualify. We have added support for our high school students and our summer school programs. Through the coming months and years, we need to keep raising funds to finance the program and feed our Lake Orion children.
We currently pack over 400 bags of food each week!
You can help make a difference for the children in our Lake Orion Community
We reach out to all members of the Orion Community - parents, local businesses, community members. You can help in so many ways - volunteering your time (a lot of bags of food need to be packed!), fundraising, donating resources, monetary donations to name a few.
$175 will provide a backpack and food to one child each weekend for an entire school year!
