Jewish Federation Helps Fight Weekend Hunger with Backpack Buddies

For children facing food insecurity, Friday afternoon can bring an uncomfortable question: what will there be to eat over the weekend?

Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta works to answer that question by providing nutritious weekend meals to children who may not have reliable access to food when school is not in session.

One of the organization's community partners, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, has supported this mission through both funding and hands-on involvement, helping Backpack Buddies strengthen its ability to reach children across Metro Atlanta.

More Than Meals: Building a Stronger Support System

Backpack Buddies' work is built around a straightforward idea: children should have access to nutritious food throughout the entire week.

The organization currently provides weekend meals to 2,625 children across 53 Metro Atlanta schools, working alongside Community Buddies and volunteers to get food into the hands of students who need it.

But feeding thousands of children requires more than food alone.

It requires efficient operations, strong community partnerships, volunteers and organizations willing to invest in the infrastructure behind the program.

That is where the Jewish Federation's partnership has made a difference.

Supporting Backpack Buddies Through JInnovate

Through the Federation's JInnovate grant, Backpack Buddies received financial support as well as access to capacity-building resources, including Catchafire.

The partnership has helped the organization access resources and connections that can strengthen its operations while allowing more of its resources to remain focused on feeding children.

For a growing nonprofit, that kind of support can be particularly valuable.

Backpack Buddies has expanded dramatically since its beginnings in 2017, when volunteers served just 10 children at one elementary school. By the 2025–2026 school year, the organization was serving thousands of children each weekend across dozens of schools.

When the Community Steps In

The impact of the Federation partnership became especially visible when Backpack Buddies needed additional help preparing food.

During a period when community partners were stretched thin, Federation staff stepped in and packed 150 food bags for children at Brockett Elementary School in Tucker.

The contribution was practical and immediate: food was packed, prepared and ready to reach children who needed it.

But the moment also demonstrated something larger.

Community partnerships can provide more than financial resources. They can provide people, expertise and the ability to respond when an organization needs additional support.

One Million Meals and Counting

In April 2025, Backpack Buddies reached a major milestone when it delivered its 1 millionth meal.

That milestone represents years of volunteers packing food, community organizations coordinating deliveries, donors providing financial support and schools helping connect Backpack Buddies with children experiencing food insecurity.

The Jewish Federation's partnership is part of that larger community effort.

Why Weekend Meals Matter

During the school week, many children have access to breakfast and lunch through school programs. But weekends can create a gap for families dealing with food insecurity.

Backpack Buddies fills that gap with packages of shelf-stable, kid-friendly food designed to provide meals and snacks through the weekend.

The impact can be felt in very personal ways.

In the Jewish Federation's story about Backpack Buddies, one young recipient explained that before receiving the weekend food, siblings had to alternate which day they would eat. With Backpack Buddies, they could both eat throughout the weekend.

That is the difference a weekend meal can make.

How the Atlanta Community Can Help

Backpack Buddies depends on community support to continue serving children throughout Metro Atlanta.

Individuals can donate or volunteer, while businesses, faith communities and civic organizations can become Community Buddies and adopt schools.

A Partnership Built Around Impact

The partnership between the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Backpack Buddies demonstrates what can happen when organizations combine resources, expertise and people around a shared goal.

Every packed bag represents more than food. It represents one less weekend in which a child has to worry about where their next meal will come from.

Together with its Community Buddies, volunteers, donors and supporters, Backpack Buddies will continue working to close the weekend hunger gap for children across Metro Atlanta.

Because children need to eat on weekends, too.