It’s officially back-to-school season, and children are heading back to the classroom ready to learn, grow, and reach their full potential. But for children facing food insecurity, hunger can make it harder to focus, participate, and keep up in the classroom. No child should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.

Gifts of Love’s Student Weekend Food Backpack Program helps bridge the gap for children who rely on school meals during the week but may face food insecurity on weekends and school breaks. During the school year, more than 375 students and their families, serving over 1,500 individuals across 40 schools in 10 school districts, receive backpacks filled with nutritious, child-friendly meals and snacks.

By helping reduce hunger, the program supports children’s health, well-being, classroom engagement, and academic success. When children have the food they need, they have a better chance to focus, participate, and reach their full potential.

1 in 7 Connecticut residents struggles with hunger, and more than 137,000 children, or 1 in 5, are food insecure.

Your support can help make sure a child has the food they need throughout the school year:

$25 feeds a child for a week
$100 feeds a child for a month
$750 feeds a child for a school year
$1,000 feeds a child for an entire year
$2,500 feeds a child and their family for a year

No child should ever go hungry. Help us make sure every child has the food they need to learn, grow, and thrive.