Backpack Brigade

What Backpack Brigade does

Backpack Brigade is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered at 4111 E Madison St., Unit 21, Seattle, Washington, whose mission is to end weekend hunger for food-insecure students in King County. The organization's product is a weekly delivery of kid-friendly nonperishable food bags containing approximately 3,000 calories across three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners, and three snacks. Its proprietary A.B.C. Menu System offers eight menu options, including Standard, Vegan, Gluten Free, Hispanic-Latino, Asian-American, Kosher, Halal, and Build-a-Bag, plus a cold bag option, to accommodate cultural, religious, and dietary needs.

Operationally, Backpack Brigade runs a volunteer-powered warehouse and distribution logistics system that delivers weekend hunger bags to 107 schools across the Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, and Highline school districts every Thursday during the school year, sustained by 150+ weekly volunteers and 50+ driver routes. The organization sources food through ten partner distributors and maintains deep relationships with school-based family support workers who identify and serve eligible students.

The funding model draws from three roughly equal streams: individual donations (including the $25/month Brigadier recurring program, the Adopt-A-School targeted giving program, and one-time gifts), City of Seattle contracts covering rent and salaries, and grants plus community fundraising (including the Run to End Weekend Hunger 5K). Donors can adopt full or partial school funding at $7.50 per weekend per child, and the organization reports that 100% of individual donations go directly to food purchases.

Name

Backpack Brigade

Legal name

Backpack Brigade

Website

https://backpackbrigade.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backpack Brigade is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers weekly weekend hunger food bags to 5,300+ food-insecure students across 107 schools in four King County districts, funded through individual donations, City of Seattle contracts, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

akta.pro primary industry

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Child hunger relief
• Weekend meal programs
• School food assistance
• Nonprofit food distribution
• Volunteer logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute both one-time and recurring monthly donations. Monthly donors join the 'Brigadier' program. About one-third of funding comes from individuals who donate to support the mission.
2. City Contracts: City of Seattle contracts provide approximately one-third of funding, covering rent and salaries. This public funding supports the operational infrastructure.
3. Grants and Community Fundraising: Foundation grants and community fundraising events (such as the Run to End Hunger 5K) constitute approximately one-third of funding. Corporate sponsorships and community partner donations are also included.
4. Adopt-A-School Program: Donors can adopt specific schools or portions of schools to fund meals for students at those locations. This provides targeted funding for specific school populations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Backpack Brigade packs and delivers weekend hunger relief food bags to 107 schools across four King County school districts every Thursday during the school year, serving 5,300+ food-insecure students with 1.7M+ meals annually. Each bag contains approximately 3,000 calories across 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, and 3 snacks, with eight culturally tailored menu options plus a cold bag variant to meet dietary, religious, and cultural needs.

Product overview

Backpack Brigade is a nonprofit organization providing weekend hunger relief to food-insecure students in King County, Washington. The organization operates a single integrated program centered on delivering weekend food bags to schools. The core offering is the A.B.C. Menu program, which provides eight distinct menu options (Standard, Vegan, Gluten Free, Hispanic-Latinx, Asian-American, Kosher, Halal, and Build-a-Bag) plus cold bags, each containing 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners, and 3 snacks. The Adopt-A-School program allows donors to fund specific schools, while the Brigadier monthly giving program provides recurring donor support. The organization also hosts the annual Run to End Weekend Hunger 5K as a major fundraiser. All programs are delivered through a volunteer-driven warehouse operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekend Hunger Relief Food Bags
• Adopt-A-School Program
• Brigadier Monthly Giving Program
• Run to End Weekend Hunger 5K

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,300+ children fed every weekend across 107 schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DNA&STONEminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 December 2025Marketing agency partnership for the Hungry Weekend social media campaign. DNA&STONE founders experienced simulated hunger to raise funds and awareness for Backpack Brigade's mission.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Wish List partnership allowing donors to purchase hard-to-get food items directly. Counts of 70 items help fill a whole packing table.
• 10 Partner Food DistributorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood is purchased through ten partner distributors, allowing Backpack Brigade to control nutrition and name brands while ensuring equity for every child.
• Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, and Highline School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner107 schools across 4 districts receive weekly deliveries and work with family support workers to identify and serve students in need.
• Ensemble (Real Estate)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate volunteer group that regularly volunteers as part of their corporate giving program, demonstrating community values.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blessings in a Backpack: National nonprofit operating the original 'backpack of food' model for food-insecure students on weekends. Most directly comparable peer — same target population (schoolchildren), same delivery mechanism (backpack/food bag), same weekend hunger focus, just at national scale rather than King County.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: The largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit, operating a national network of 200+ food banks. Overlaps with Backpack Brigade via its food banking/distribution model and partnerships with food distributors that also supply Backpack Brigade, but its scale and breadth are far larger and not student-weekend specific.
• No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): National campaign focused on ending childhood hunger in the U.S. through school breakfast, summer feeding, and after-school meal programs. Targets the same end beneficiary (food-insecure children) and competes for the same corporate and foundation grant dollars, but at a national advocacy and program scale.

Regional players

• Food Lifeline: Seattle-based food bank that is part of the Feeding America network and a likely upstream food source for Backpack Brigade's ten distributor partners. Operates the same Western Washington geography and may be a wholesale supplier, partner, or competitor for school-facing food distribution.
• Northwest Harvest: Washington State's largest statewide hunger relief organization, distributing food through a network of food banks and meal programs statewide. Serves the same Washington geography and addresses overlapping needs, though its model is food banking and food bank distribution rather than direct-to-school backpack delivery.
• Hunger Free Colorado: Colorado-based anti-hunger nonprofit focused on advocacy, food access, and direct service programs. Operates the same anti-hunger mission in a different geography, useful as a comparable model for how a regional nonprofit pursues mission expansion beyond food distribution.
• Food Bank of the Rockies: Feeding America-affiliated food bank serving Colorado and Wyoming. Comparable to the regional food-banking infrastructure (like Food Lifeline) that Backpack Brigade's distributor partners leverage, useful as a benchmark for regional nonprofit operating scale.
• The Foodbank, Inc. Regional food bank serving the Miami Valley (Ohio) area, providing food to partner agencies including school-based programs. Comparable as a mid-sized regional hunger-relief nonprofit in a different geography with a partner-agency model that includes school feeding.
• Good Shepherd Food Bank: Largest hunger-relief organization in Maine, distributing food through a partner agency network that includes school-based programs. Operates a comparable regional food bank + child nutrition mission and is a reasonable analogue for budget and partnership scale.

Others

• Meals on Wheels America: National nonprofit network delivering meals to seniors. Different end beneficiary (seniors vs. schoolchildren) but similar recurring-meal delivery model and volunteer-based logistics, making it a useful operational analogue for distribution and volunteer-management practices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/seattlebackpackbrigade
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backpack-brigade
• Instagraminstagram.com/washingtonbackpackbrigade
• TikToktiktok.com/@backpack.brigade

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Backpack Brigade