Over 58% of American school children receive their primary meal each day through the federal free and reduced lunch program.  This raises the obvious question:  What do these children eat on the weekends?  BHH Backpacks addresses the critical problem by sending backpacks home each Friday with elementary school children. The backpacks contain six (6) meals, two (2 snacks) and two (2) juice boxes.

Locally, Boca Helping Hands administers BHH Backpack in Palm Beach County.  In 2012-2013 some 1200 students will receive a backpack for 38 weeks of the academic year.  Volunteers from five local faith communities have “adopted” these schools and have therefore committed their financial resources as well as the manpower needed to pack the backpacks each week.

Boca Helping Hands purchases the food and then delivers the appropriate amount of each item to the respective school on a weekly basis.   The specific items used in the backpacks cost $5.53 per child/per week.  With 1200 students in the program, and the program running for 38 weeks, the total cost for food for an academic year is $252,168.00.

Boca Helping Hands absorbs the cost of transporting and warehousing the food, as well as any portion of salaries involved in staff members’ time devoted to the BHH Backpacks program.  Boca Helping Hands has been raising funds and handling the logistics of this program for two years.  A large army of volunteers come to load the pallets with the appropriate food items each week. 

 To donate to this program please click:  https://www.bocahelpinghands.org/BHH_Backpacks

For more information please email us at: info@bocahelpinghands.org