PAOLI — For some local children, the weekend can bring uncertainty about where their next meal will come from. Paoli Backpacks of Blessings is working to change that by providing nutritious food to students who may experience food insecurity outside of school.
Every Friday, the program provides weekend food bags to an average of 160 students at Throop Elementary School. The bags are designed to help children have nutritious food available throughout the weekend so they can return to school Monday morning nourished, focused, and ready to learn.
As the 2026–27 school year approaches, Paoli Backpacks of Blessings is asking community members to consider sponsoring a student and helping ensure the program can continue serving local children throughout the school year.
Several sponsorship levels are available:
- $340 — Champion Sponsor: Supports two students for the full school year
- $170 — Full-Year Sponsor: Supports one student for the full school year
- $85 — Half-Year Sponsor
- $42 — Quarter-Year Sponsor
The organization emphasizes that a sponsorship provides more than food. For a child experiencing food insecurity, having a backpack of nutritious food waiting each weekend can mean one less worry and a better opportunity to return to school ready to learn.
Community members can help make hunger one less thing a local child has to worry about by sponsoring a student for the upcoming school year.
Those interested in sponsoring a student can visit the Paoli Backpacks of Blessings sponsorship page to make a contribution. Questions about the program or sponsorship opportunities can be directed to backpacksofblessingspaoli@gmail.com.
With approximately 160 students receiving weekend food bags each week, community support plays an important role in keeping the program going.
A sponsorship can make a lasting difference for a local child — one backpack, one weekend and one school week at a time.
