Adopting a school in Jacksonville is fairly simple. The most important requirement is that you are a parent, teacher, administrator or community member that recognizes how important it is that all of our neighbors’ children have the same opportunities for daily nutrition, which positively impacts educational success! Here's how you can get started:
1. Submit through the online request form for our “How To Get Started” program materials that will be mailed to your home.
2. Research K-5 Title 1 Schools on the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Utilization programs in Jacksonville. Select a school that you think will benefit most from this program.
3. Identify possible local supporters that can:
- Donate funds to buy the food at a discounted rate.
- Volunteer to transport food to the school and help pack the backpacks each week.
4. Call Blessings in a Backpack with this preliminary information, and we will create a simple program for you to administer utilizing your resources and ours.
5. Once you have a school started, all backpacks will be supplied by Blessings in a Backpack corporate headquarters through national public, private and corporate donors.
Without your help, Blessings in a Backpack wouldn't exist. Contact us today to find out more details of how you can volunteer by calling (800) 872-4366.
It costs only $80 to feed one child each weekend for an entire school year. All donations are tax deductible. Blessings in a Backpack is an Internal Revenue Service designated 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.
Click here to donate using our secure banking system. All donations help develop local school programs. Each donation will receive a tax-deductible letter within 30 days of donation processing. All donations made by credit card thru our web site will be classified as unrestricted gifts. If you would like to support a particular school program that is already operating or in the process of getting started, make sure to indicate the name of the school, city and state on the 2nd page of the PayPal donation process or in the memo line of your check.
Our web site payment processing only supports one-time gifts, but we welcome recurring gifts. If you would like to give to Blessings in a Backpack on a recurring basis (weekly, monthly, etc.), please email Beth Sedgwick, Accountant for Blessings in a Backpack, at: bethsedgwick@blessingsinabackpack.org.
Or send your donation in check form directly to this address and specify Jacksonville Chapter on the check:
Blessings in a Backpack
P.O. Box 950291
Louisville, KY 40295
800-872-4366
If you are a manufacturer, distributor or retailer of backpacks and would like to donate new or slightly used backpacks to Blessings in a Backpack Corporate Headquarters, contact us. We will help you with the necessary logistics of getting your donation to a local group that helps feed our children every weekend. We will also supply tax deductible-deductible documentation.
Ship all backpack donations to:
Blessings in a Backpack
4121 Shelbyville Rd.
Louisville, KY 40295
If you're not in the food or backpack industry, you can still help us fight hunger in your community by donating resources. If you can drive, have a truck and/or van that can be used for deliveries, or have employees who are looking for a way to make a difference, we'd love to hear from you! Email or call us to inquire about how you can help!
If you don’t have a Blessings in a Backpack program in your area but still want to help, try some good old fashioned fundraising. Whether you are a Girl Scout/Boy Scout troop, cheerleading or football team, local community club or church group, collecting funds or backpacks at your next event is easy and extremely valuable to the children in our program.
Hold A Backpack Drive -
We need new or gently used backpacks! Blessings in a Backpack provides all new school programs with the backpacks kids need to carry their weekend supply of food home. Blessings in a Backpack is fortunate to have volunteers who donate backpacks, but we always need more to meet growing demand and to retire some of our ragged veteran backpacks. Backpack drives are a great opportunity for anybody and everybody to pitch in and do their part to feed hungry school children and improve their early academic growth.
Parents, Students and Teachers -
Parents, students of all ages and teacher groups across the nation often ask, How Can We Help! Hold a backpack drive in your school. Since many people replace their backpacks on a yearly basis, we’re betting that there are many gently-used backpacks taking up closet space that people would be happy to donate. All you need is permission from the principal and a few posters to get the ball rolling!
Other Community Supporters -
If you're not connected to a school, there are many other ways to help us raise backpacks. Please consider one of the following, or use your own method:
- Call sporting goods stores to see if they would like to donate backpacks they might have in stock or on clearance.
- Check with local companies who might have extra backpacks on hand from old employee incentive programs. Or ask them to start an incentive (i.e. "Jeans Day") for people who donate backpacks.
- Ask local retailers to offer discounts to people who bring in backpacks.
- Contact sponsors of widely-attended local events to see if they'll offer free or discounted admission to people who donate backpacks.
- Have an event or party and ask attendees to bring backpacks as an entry fee. We often have donations from kind supporters who asked for backpacks in lieu of gifts at their birthday parties.
There are no wrong answers when it comes to helping us raise backpacks to feed kids, so no matter how you decide to raise backpacks - thank you!