With over a decade of service behind them, Forsyth Backpack Program is feeding the future of Forsyth County one backpack at a time! A local nonprofit organization based in Forsyth County, Forsyth Backpack Program is focused on providing nutritious food to children and their families who are at risk of food insecurity.
Forsyth Backpack Program currently works in 16 schools offering the Backpack Program to 13 elementary schools and 4 food pantries to their middle school and high school partners. Forsyth Backpack Program also supplements various schools with the Orange You Smart Program, which adds fresh fruit to their weekend bags.
“Without the backpack food, the children who receive our meal bags may have little to no access to food (healthy or otherwise) over the weekend or long holidays. With the food we provide, the children are able to return to school after the weekend or holiday break better ready to pay attention, learn and play,” says Executive Director Heather Bolt Mikeal.
Research both nationally and locally shows that hungry kids suffer physically, educationally, developmentally, and socially. They lag behind their well-nourished peers in almost every way. They can never quite catch up—suffering the impacts of hunger even into adulthood.
“Our team is responsible for picking up and distributing the meals to the schools and providing volunteers when needed. Our partners at Second Harvest Food Bank provide regulatory oversight and are the hub for ordering the Backpack food items while our school program partners work directly with students,” Bolt Mikeal shares.
The food the students receive are very specific and include 4 meals containing a protein, milk, juice, cereal, non-perishable fruit and when available from our donors, fresh fruit. Each item is carefully selected to ensure the youngest of children are able to serve themselves and prepare their meals if an adult is not present.
During the 2024-2025 school year, Forsyth Backpack Program fed an average of 650 students with the Backpack Program per week with additional students being served by the school food pantries. The Forsyth Backpack Program Board estimates the need for the 2025-2026 year will be even greater due to the cuts to SNAP and Medicaid and the impact it will have on our local community.
Forsyth Backpack Program Board Chair Kirsten Ririe shared, “Last school year we supplied 31,850 bags of food which translates to just over $193,000 for food costs. We are working tirelessly to secure funds from individual donors and corporate sponsors and are currently actively marketing our 2nd Annual Spelling Bee Fundraiser to secure funds for the upcoming school year.”
With a working active Board and Advisory Council, the organization continues to be primarily volunteer-led as they carry out their mission. The Board works diligently to keep a very low overhead, choosing not to have a physical location but partnering with schools and the generosity of local partners to store food and supplies.
Forsyth Backpack Program invites you to support their 2nd Annual Spelling Bee Fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday, September 30th from 6:00pm-8:00pm at Footnote Coffee & Cocktails. Sponsorships and tickets are on sale now via their website.
If you’d like to get involved, please visit their website to learn more about their work or to see upcoming volunteer activities for individuals and groups: www.forsythbackpackprogram.org
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