BACKPACK BLESSINGS

What BACKPACK BLESSINGS does

Backpack Blessings Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered at Mt. Bethel Church in Marietta, Georgia. The organization operates an all-volunteer Weekend Food Backpack Program that hand-delivers signature blue backpacks stocked with nutritious, child-friendly, easy-to-prepare meals and snacks each Friday to food-insecure elementary school children in Cobb County, Georgia. Its current delivery footprint comprises Fair Oaks Elementary School (partner since 2011), Milford Elementary School (added August 2023), and the Marietta Salvation Army After School Program (partner since 2017). The organization's stated mission is to address weekend childhood hunger for students who rely on the National School Lunch Program during the week, and it reports documented improvements in partner-school test scores, reading skills, behavior, health, attendance, and self-confidence.

The organization's underlying technology is minimal and intentionally non-technical: a content website (backpackblessings.org) for volunteer sign-ups and donations, social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and monthly email newsletters. There is no proprietary software, mobile app, or AI/ML system; operational coordination is volunteer-driven with Thursday staging and packing at the Mt. Bethel Church Missions House and Friday morning deliveries to school bus lanes. The organization holds Candid's Platinum Transparency Rating and Charity Navigator's 4-Star rating, indicating strong nonprofit accountability and financial-health disclosures.

Backpack Blessings is funded entirely through donations and grants — individual contributions, corporate sponsorships (e.g., $5,000 from Findlay Roofing in 2026), foundation grants (Conagra Brands Foundation in 2022 and 2024), and passive retail giving via Kroger Community Rewards and Amazon Smiles. The sponsorship model prices impact at $400 per child per school year, with an alternative $25 monthly recurring donation tier. The organization claims 100% of donations are deployed to feed children, with no rent, salaries, or administrative fees, and reports cumulative impact of 185,000+ backpacks, 9,300+ children served, approximately 2 million meals, and approximately $2.8M spent fighting childhood hunger over 14 years, currently delivering 600+ backpacks weekly during the school year.

Name

BACKPACK BLESSINGS

Legal name

Backpack Blessings Inc

Website

https://backpackblessings.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backpack Blessings is an all-volunteer Marietta, Georgia nonprofit that delivers weekly weekend-food backpacks to food-insecure elementary school children at partner schools in Cobb County, Georgia, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Food Assistance

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA)

Keywords

• Weekend food backpack
• Childhood hunger relief
• Food insecurity programs
• Nonprofit food assistance
• Weekend meal program

Headquarters

HQ city

Marietta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals to support food purchases for backpacks. 100% of donations go to feed children as organization is all-volunteer with no rent, salaries, or administrative fees.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners contribute funds (e.g., $5,000 from Findlay Roofing) or volunteer time to support the organization.
3. Retail Charitable Programs: Donations designated through Kroger and Amazon Smiles shopping programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Backpack Blessings is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit that packs and hand-delivers signature blue backpacks stocked with nutritious, child-friendly, easy-to-prepare meals and snacks to food-insecure elementary school children in Cobb County, Georgia, each Friday during the school year. The program addresses weekend hunger when National School Lunch Program meals are unavailable, partnering with Fair Oaks Elementary, Milford Elementary, and the Marietta Salvation Army After School Program to reach chronically hungry students.

Product overview

BackPack Blessings is a nonprofit organization operating a single focused program: the Weekend Food Backpack Program. The organization provides blue backpacks filled with nutritious, child-friendly meals and snacks to food-insecure elementary school children in Cobb County, Georgia. Backpacks are hand-delivered weekly to students at Fair Oaks Elementary School, Milford Elementary School, and the Salvation Army Marietta Corps After School Program. As an all-volunteer organization, 100% of donations go directly to feed the children. The program costs $400 per year per child ($350 per the donation page) and has provided over 9,300 children with weekend food support since its founding in 2011.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekend Food Backpack Program Weekly delivery of nutritious, child-friendly, easy-to-prepare meals and snacks in signature blue backpacks to food-insecure elementary school children in Cobb County, Georgia for consumption over weekends when school meal programs are unavailable. Includes words of encouragement to assure chronically hungry children they are loved.

Quantifiable outcome

• Better test scores, improved reading skills, enhanced behavior, improved health, increased attendance, higher self-confidence
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor, supporting and former.

• Milford Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Newest partner starting August 2023. Title I School with ~400 diverse students. Vision: Empowering Students for Success.
• Marietta Salvation Army After School ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partner since 2017. Faith-based community program providing safe haven for children from low/moderate income neighborhoods. Backpack Blessings supplies weekly food backpacks.
• Fair Oaks Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Primary partner since 2011. National Blue Ribbon School and 90/90/90 school. Backpack Blessings delivers weekly backpacks to students. The principal recognizes the organization as important to improved student performance.
• Mt. Bethel ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost church providing operational space (The Missions House), administrative support, and volunteer base since founding in 2011.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable designee for Kroger Community Rewards program allowing shoppers to designate donations.
• Amazon SmilesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharitable designee for Amazon Smiles program allowing shoppers to designate donations.
• Mosaic ChurchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOVID-19 pivot partnership for family food distribution. Located near Fair Oaks school. Weekly food deliveries including 500-600 gallons of milk per week.
• Fair Oaks PantrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBackPack Blessings was a partner in starting the Fair Oaks Pantry in 2019. COVID-19 pivot to sponsor and donate to support food-insecure families.
• Acworth Elementary SchoolformerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer partner school during 2020 operations before COVID interruptions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Blessings in a Backpack: National nonprofit operating the original 'Blessings in a Backpack' weekend food backpack program for food-insecure elementary school children. Operates the same model Backpack Blessings is built on, at national scale, making it the closest functional peer.

Broad incumbents

• No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): Large national anti-hunger campaign focused on ending childhood hunger in the U.S., including school breakfast, summer meals, and after-school nutrition. Operates a much broader portfolio but addresses the same population (food-insecure school-age children).
• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit, running a nationwide network of 200+ food banks including school-based and childhood nutrition programs. Highly comparable mission space, with a much broader service portfolio and funding scale.
• Action Against Hunger: Global humanitarian organization focused on hunger and undernutrition, with significant programs targeting school-aged children and child nutrition. Operates at international scale, well beyond Backpack Blessings' regional scope, but addresses the same underlying problem.

Regional players

• Atlanta Community Food Bank: Regional food bank serving metro Atlanta and north Georgia, including Cobb County where Backpack Blessings operates. Directly comparable geography and beneficiary population, and a natural potential partner or competitor for child-nutrition funding.
• MANNA FoodBank: Regional food bank serving western North Carolina with school-based pantries and childhood nutrition programs. Operates a comparable model of distributing food through school channels in a defined U.S. region.
• Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia: Regional food bank operating Backpack, school pantry, and childhood nutrition programs in southeastern Virginia. Comparable scope of services, including a named 'Backpack Program' for food-insecure children.
• Gleaners Community Food Bank: Michigan-based regional food bank with school-based food and weekend backpack distribution for children. Comparable weekend/backpack feeding model for school-age children, with similar donor-supported cost-per-child economics.
• Meals on Wheels Atlanta: Atlanta-area nonprofit providing meal delivery to seniors and vulnerable populations, with a comparable donor- and volunteer-driven model in the same metro region. Tangentially comparable as a food-security nonprofit with similar funding and volunteer mechanics.

Emerging players

• East Atlanta Kids Club: Smaller Atlanta-area nonprofit providing after-school programming, meals, and youth development to children in under-resourced neighborhoods. Comparable in geography and target demographic, with overlapping food security programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BackPackFoodMinistry
• Instagraminstagram.com/backpackblessings
• Xtwitter.com/BPB_MBUMC

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 BLESSINGS