For children, the holiday seasons are associated with cultural mythologies: family gathered around the hearth, favorite characters like Santa Claus, gifts, and sweet treats. So many holiday narratives revolve around candy that sweets have become almost synonymous with celebration. For children in stable homes with reliable incomes, gifts and goodies are expected. Children who don’t enjoy those same privileges don’t share those expectations.
That’s where Backpack Brigade comes in. Although we are focused on filling the nutritional gaps for children who don’t have reliable access to food on the weekends, we understand that food is emotional, too. We use food to comfort each other; to celebrate together; to show love for one another. While we want the kids we serve to grow up healthy and strong, we also want them to grow up nurtured and loved.
At the holidays, we don’t forget the kids who may not be expecting much of a celebration, if any at all. Our bags go out on the last delivery before key holidays with a little something extra, be it a candy cane for Christmas, a box of sugar hearts at Valentine’s Day, or even a little note of encouragement for every kid on his or her way back to school.Â
The power of these gestures can’t be underestimated. Time and time again, we hear from the school coordinators who partner with us that the kids love the food, love the predictability of the bags, love the service. How powerful it is for them, then, to open a bag and feel a little bit of the holiday magic that all their friends share. How joyful to have a little note like all the other moms write! How exciting, to have their tongues alight with the tingle of peppermint as they finish their last day of school this year!
To you and to us, these pleasures are so simple they are almost forgettable. But to a child facing the challenges of homelessness, family crisis, and food insecurity, they are the stuff of magic. We want to thank Debbie K., whose generous donation made this year’s winter holiday and Halloween treats possible. And we thank every volunteer who helped write notes, tie bows, and bag treats – you made the best kind of miracles for thousands of little lives this year.
If you’d like to become a magician yourself, we are looking for sponsors for next year’s holiday treats. We buy Valentine’s Day Sweethearts, Spring Break Chocolates, Halloween Candies, Thanksgiving Hot Chocolate packs, and Winter Break candy canes every year, and the cost of these extras tends to add up. Contact Director of Development Katrina Cameron at katrina@backpackbrigade.org if you’re interested in supporting our program at the sponsorship level, or donate individually today.
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