Do you ever wonder what happens to the food you donate?

If you donate on odd months (January, March, May, etc.) your food donation goes to Backpack Beginnings. If you haven’t been there, read on.

“Backpack” doesn’t really tell the whole story

First of all, did you know they don’t use backpacks to deliver the food to the children? It didn’t take long for them to learn that a child carrying two backpacks home from school on Fridays can be stigmatizing so now they put grocery bags in the child’s backpack. The backpacks weren’t really coming back to be refilled as planned either, and continually buying backpacks is a major expense so moving to grocery bags solved that problem, too. Of course, any child who needs an actual backpack can get one, they just no longer use them as the primary delivery method for the food.

Way more than food; way more than school delivery

Parker, Mallory, Wendy, and their team of over 200 monthly volunteers have a warehouse space complete with two loading docks and a forklift, where they sort food by expiration date and type. They also have a space for fresh fruits and veggies, a clothes pantry, a comfort pantry (for hygiene supplies), and a book pantry. Every bit of available space is taken up with items to be sorted and packed to go out to children, wherever they can find them: at schools; pediatricians’ offices; YWCA; and other spots around Guilford County.

It’s all because of you

Your donations are their primary source of food, and they make it available to children who are food insecure in multiple ways: through backpacks provided at school; through a snack pantry for teachers to access via a partnership with Guilford Education Alliance; stocking food pantries at select schools; and by providing fresh food and produce to schools.

This is one of the ways your donation to A Simple Gesture gets in the hands of hungry children around Guilford County. Thank you for your generosity.

What does Backpack Beginnings need?

Healthy snacks, such as fruit cups, granola bars, raisins, etc., and breakfast foods. Please make sure you buy foods in plastic or paper containers; they are unable to use glass jars.

What else can I do to help?

Tell your friends about A Simple Gesture! Encourage them to donate by filling a bag, donating funds to fill a bag, or volunteering to drive on pick-up Saturdays! Other volunteer opportunities are listed on Greensboro’s Volunteer Center website. Let them know how great it feels to be a part of the solution to end childhood hunger in Guilford County!