Since 2006, Operation Backpack has provided shelf-stable meals for kids to get through the weekend when school meals are unavailable. Children are discreetly given these bags on Friday and are then able to go home and enjoy four meals over the weekend.
The importance of Operation Backpack
Operation Backpack aims to positively impact students and their families, improve academic performance and behavior, and help relieve economic stress for families suffering from food insecurity. In 2021, Operation Backpack provided over 589,000 meals to students in 338 schools in fifteen counties, and the program is poised to do that again this year!
What do the backpack bags have inside?
Inside a typical Operation Backpack bag, students receive four nutritious, kid-friendly meals. Additionally, meal kits with recipe cards are provided to the student on the last weekend of the month. These meal kits are designed with busy households in mind and include ingredients families can quickly prepare with minimal additional components.
Who gets to be a part of Operation Backpack?
Operation Food Search partners with schools throughout the region for Operation Backpack. All students at these partner schools are eligible, but social workers select the students they believe will benefit from the program. When the school year starts, parents are given the option to opt-out, should they choose. No one is required to fill out an enrollment form. This way, there is no access barrier or hassle to receiving this resource.
Should any changes occur during the year and parents want to opt-in to the program, all they need to do is contact the school’s administration to begin receiving food. This school year, the distribution of bags will begin the week of Labor Day. Operation Backpack would not be possible without our fabulous school coordinators, who range from principals and teachers to counselors and social workers. This program truly is a community effort, and it all pays off in the end; 87% of school personnel have seen a positive impact on the families of students who participate in Operation Backpack.
Operation Backpack partners with individual schools in the St. Louis Public Schools district, Ferguson-Florissant School District, Hazelwood School District, Jennings School District, Normandy Schools Collaborative, Special School District, Confluence Academies, Momentum Academies, Riverview Gardens and many more. Contact your school administrators if you are unsure of your school’s participation.
We’re thankful for our volunteers and donors!
This program would not be possible without our wonderful volunteers. Our volunteers’ work speaks to our community’s dedication to our vision of a world where hunger no longer exists. Volunteer groups have ranged from kids, corporations, college students, and a stellar group of regular volunteers who have been with us for over a decade. Outside of volunteering, people may donate food or volunteer at different schools to help with their distribution process. Financial donations also play a big part in making sure our program is strong.
Breaking down barriers to food access is hard work at times, but with the collaboration and support of our caring community, we are able to heal hunger for students and ensure they come to school every Monday ready to learn.
Visit our volunteer page to learn more about Operation Backpack volunteer opportunities.
