What Is Weekend Hunger?
- Backpack Brigade
- Jul 31
- 2 min read
We've officially kicked off our Back-to-School Campaign! As we work toward our $20,000 goal to help students start the school year strong, we thought it was the perfect time to revisit what weekend hunger is—and how our community works together to address it.
More than 20,000 children in King County experience food insecurity. For many of those families, weekends are the hardest part of the week, when school meals aren't available and grocery budgets are stretched even further. To meet that need, Backpack Brigade works alongside coalitions, schools, and federal nutrition programs to ensure children have access to food every day of the week.
School Meals Make a Difference
During the school week, millions of children across the United States receive breakfast and lunch through school meal programs. For many students, these are the most reliable meals they'll receive all day.
But when Friday afternoon arrives, those meals stop.
That's where Backpack Brigade helps fill the need—providing nutritious weekend meals so students can return to school on Monday ready to learn.
A Strong Support Network
No single program can end childhood hunger. That's why schools, nonprofits, government programs, and community organizations work together to support families.
Washington has expanded access to school meals, allowing many schools to offer breakfast and lunch to every student at no cost. This reduces stigma and helps ensure children have consistent access to nutritious meals during the school week.
SNAP helps eligible families purchase groceries each month. While it's a vital resource, rising food costs and competing household expenses can make it difficult for benefits to last through the entire month.
Backpack Brigade partners with schools, food banks, meal programs, and community organizations through the Food for Schools Coalition—a partnership of eight organizations (Backpack Brigade, West Seattle Food Bank, Rainier Valley Food Bank, University District Food Bank, Family Works, Ballard Food Bank, Food Bank at St. Mary’s, and Hunger Intervention Program) working together to ensure every Seattle Public School has access to a food provider. By coordinating school partnerships, sharing best practices, and collaborating on food purchasing, coalition members stretch resources further and help feed more children.
When school cafeterias close for the weekend, Backpack Brigade provides nutritious, kid-friendly weekend meals to more than 5,000 students across King County every week.
For families balancing rising grocery costs, housing, transportation, and childcare, making food last through the weekend can be incredibly difficult. Our weekend hunger bags help bridge that gap, ensuring children have the nourishment they need until they return to school on Monday.
What You Can Do
Ending weekend hunger takes all of us. Whether you're an individual, family, business, or community group, there are many ways to make a difference.
Together, we can ensure every child has the food they need to return to school healthy, focused, and ready to learn.
Ready to help? Join our Back-to-School Campaign and help us raise $20,000 to fuel students' first days of school.
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