With a rise in job loss and financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Walker County and Chickamauga school districts have seen increasing food insecurity in students, officials say.
Backpack Blessings, a volunteer program that helps to counteract food insecurity for students, has always played a large part in meeting the needs of local families, so its 2021 annual fundraising was especially integral, said John Donahoo, the program’s coordinator.
According to the website of the North Georgia Community YMCA, which oversees the program in partnership with the Walker Family Connection and Walker County and Chickamauga school districts, Backpack Blessings provides students with a sack of nutritious meals to take home each weekend.
Donahoo, who also serves as executive director of the North Georgia Community YMCA, said volunteers pack meals each Tuesday and deliver them to the schools each Thursday where they are given to students in need by their teachers and counselors.
“The program has run for seven years and currently serves 650-700 students in pre-K through 12th grade,” Donahoo said. “Annually, the program produces 15,000-20,000 meals for students.”