Backpack Buddies in metro Atlanta hits major milestone in fight against hunger
The Brief
Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta has served its one millionth meal, providing weekend food to children in need across 50 Title I schools.
The nonprofit has grown from serving 800 students weekly in 2022 to 2,500 students each week in 2025.
Volunteers help pack and distribute bags filled with six shelf-stable meals to help fight weekend hunger among food-insecure children.
ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta nonprofit is celebrating a major milestone in its mission to fight childhood hunger. Backpack Buddies of metro Atlanta, which provides weekend meals for students in need, recently served its one millionth meal.
What we know
The organization helps students at Title I schools head home from school on Fridays with enough food to last through the weekend—a critical time when many children face food insecurity.
"On Fridays a lot of children think oh I'm going to go home, I'm going to play with my friends, I'm going to do fun things with my family. But for a lot of these children Fridays mean going home hungry and this is why Backpack Buddies is stepping in to bridge that gap between Friday and Monday," said Executive Director Denise Bjurholm.
Backpack Buddies, which launched in 2022, now serves 50 schools across Gwinnett, Cobb, Fulton, and DeKalb counties. According to Bjurholm, about 180,000 children in metro Atlanta are considered food insecure.
What they're saying
"So currently we are serving fifty Title One schools in the Metro Atlanta area. We serve Gwinnett County, Cobb County, Fulton, and DeKalb. There are roughly around 180,000 children in metro Atlanta who are deemed food insecure," she said.
In just three years, the number of children served weekly has grown from 800 to 2,500.
"You know with the economy the way it is, prices are rising, food is rising, fresh fruit and vegetables are rising. What we are providing is a bag of shelf stable food that can really last longer and we are providing six meals in these bags," Bjurholm explained.
The meals are assembled with the help of volunteers, who work in the nonprofit's warehouse to pack food. Local community groups then pick up and distribute the bags to area schools.
Volunteers say the work is meaningful.
"It's fantastic becasue it's such a tangible, every single sheet has we need 86 of this, we need 55 of this, we need 181 of this, and that's kids. Like we see it as numbers but it's kids," said volunteers Susanna and Richard Warren.
"Knowing how many children don't have food on the weekends, it is very very rewarding," added volunteer Michele Fox.
In April, Backpack Buddies reached its milestone of one million meals served.
"When a child returns to school on a Monday they are energized, they look better, they feel better, they're ready to learn, and I think that is a huge impact we are making on this child," Bjurholm said.
What's next
While the organization is celebrating the milestone, leaders say they are already focused on the future.
"Every weekend feeding bag that we pack it is filled with hope, it's packed with love, and it's delivered with a purpose," said Bjurholm.
Their mission: making sure no child goes hungry.
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