For young people living in severe poverty, the meals they receive at school are often their only reliable source of nutrition– the U.S. Department of Education recently estimated that more than 700,000 children go to bed hungry every night. At Woodmere Elementary, where a shocking 90% of students receive free or reduced lunch, Impact NW ensures that the school’s most vulnerable students have enough food to feed them from Friday night until Monday morning through our innovative Backpack Project.

Launched in July 2011, the Backpack Project began in partnership with several faith-based groups in Southeast Portland. Impact NW’s Community Schools staff distributed slightly-used backpacks to these partners; church members took the backpacks home on Sunday, filled them and delivered them to Woodmere to be sent home with students on Friday. As awareness of the program grew, Woodmere Community Schools staff were able to raise funds to buy groceries when needed, and to cultivate relationships with businesses that can donate food. Now, 24 of Woodmere’s highest-needs families can adequately feed their children on the weekends so that these students will be ready to learn when they return to school on Monday.

Impact NW’s Woodmere Elementary Backpack Project is made possible by the generous support of the Southeast Portland Rotary Club, Moreland Presbyterian Church, Holy Family Catholic Parish, and by community partners Bob’s Red Mill and Franz Bakery.

Click here to find out more about how you can be a part of Impact NW’s work for families in need.