"Can you even imagine having free or reduced price lunch at school on Friday...then going home and having no dinner that night, no breakfast, lunch or dinner on Saturday OR Sunday, and then returning to school on Monday morning...expected to be ready to learn? THAT is when you might begin to understand hunger."- Alice Prevatt, Founder, Upstate Backpack BlessingsAlice Prevatt witnessed this heartbreaking situation many times when she worked in a local middle school cafeteria. Inspired to make a real difference, she created Upstate Backpack Blessings (UBB) and began collecting donated food, organizing and packing it in her kitchen. She originally served three schools, but word spread and the program quickly grew.Upstate Backpack Blessings is a volunteer-based, donation-driven organization that now provides bags of food to nearly 200 students each week in the following elementary, middle and high schools:Elementary: Fork Shoals, Fountain Inn, Oakview, Plains and Taylors Middle: Bryson, Hughes, Hillcrest, Northwood, Riverside and Woodside High: Eastside and HillcrestAlice says that once a child starts with the program in elementary school

, if things don't change rather drastically at home, that weekly bag of food will more than likely accompany that student all the way through high school. Over 34,000 students in Greenville County Public Schools rely on free or reduced breakfasts and lunches while in school Monday through Friday. Students served by Upstate Backpack Blessings count on their weekend bags that they pick up on Friday afternoons as the leave school for the weekend, a critical time when they do not have access to school meals and often go without or have very little food.arc'teryx kea backpackCan you even imagine hunger? backpack kaufhofYou can make a very real and immediate difference in the lives of children by organizing a UBB Food Drive, volunteering in our Food Pantry or by donating funds toward the purchase of food.snowpulse backpack prices

Advent Backpack BlessingsDon't forget this awesome music event!! A collection will be taken to help support Advent Backpack Blessings!! Bring your family and friends! Advent UMC, 2258 Woodruff Road!Advent Backpack Blessings shared their photo.Don't forget this awesome musical event! Join us for Advent Community Christmas on Sunday! Two performances at 2pm & 5pm. Bring your friends and family!!swissgear - ibex laptop backpack - blueAdvent Backpack BlessingsPlease join us on December 11 for an amazing musical event! vip oxegen 03 laptop backpackThis is a free event for you and your loved ones to come and be filled with the Christmas spirit by... the many talents of Advent UMC! bap backpack ebayA collection will be taken to help support Advent Backpack Blessings so come and enjoy the wonderful music of the season and help support our backpack program!

Advent United Methodist Church 2258 Woodruff Rd Simpsonville, SC 29681 See all"We are so grateful to our PARTNERSwho make this program possible."- Alice Prevatt, Upstate Backpack Blessings Founder PARTNERS Fountain Inn Presbyterian Church307 N Main St Fountain Inn, SC 29644(864) 862-3341Fountain Inn Presbyterian Church helps us by providing a room where we house our food pantry. New Hope Baptist Church509 South Main Street, Mauldin, SC 29662(864) 963-3547New Hope helps us by facilitating our financial donations. Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. One in five American children face food insecurity - more than the populations of New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago combined. During the school week, most of these children depend on the federal free and reduced meal program their school offers. Sometimes, the meals at school are the only ones they get.

When the school closes it doors on Friday afternoon, many of these children go home to empty cupboards and empty bellies for 65 hours until they return to school on Monday morning. Who will feed them this weekend? Every school-aged child in America has the nourishment needed to learn and grow. As a leader in the movement to end childhood hunger, Blessings strives to ensure children don't go hungry on the weekends by empowering individuals and communities to take action. OUR PARTNERSWe would like to give many thanks to our National Partners listed below, without which this program would not be possible. 4121 Shelbyville Rd. Louisville, KY 40207 Greta Campbell is joined by Joshua Bridges of Trinity Praise and Worship Center in Westminster, SC.  Other guests are Dove Broadcasting Prayer Partner Sherry O'Shields and music by Simple Faith of Ellenboro, NC! Trinity Praise and Worship Center - https://www.... Wally and Rhonda Odom Gwen and Wade Hallare joined by newlyweds Aaron and Victoria Shirey Bowlin as they share about their special day.

Victoria Shirey Bowlin sings Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. as Pastor Benny Littlejohn Pastor Randell and Darlene Atkins discover how three Christian writers address traumatic experiences through their works of fiction. Serita Acker of W... Tonight Dante Thompson welcomes Emily L. Pittsford of El Cajun, California as she reveals how the ...“People will find it easy to say, “Hey, my church is blessing backpacks this Sunday – would you like to come?” This could be one of the best evangelism opportunities of the year!” Churches and the School Year It’s that time of year… Back to school, that is. Around the country, some students return to classrooms in August, while other start in late August, or the first week of September. Churches should absolutely honor and bless students and teachers at this important time. One popular method is a “Blessing of the Backpacks” ceremony. This is a very simple event which can make a HUGE impact. Here are our tips and suggestions:

1. Include the Blessing in the Service Embracing children and youth is the role of the entire worshipping body. So the Blessing of the Backpacks should be done in front of as many people as possible.  If your church has multiple services, consider having the event at all of them.Don’t put the blessing at the very beginning of the service, in case a family runs late and misses it all together. However, DO invite children to bring their bags up front before the service beings. First, this prevents kids (and parents) from having to juggle bags in their seats during worship. Second, the pile of colorful packs makes a wonderful visual in front, reminding everyone how much your congregation cares for children. 2. Invite the Neighborhood If you have enough lead time, DO encourage your congregants to bring their friends. People will find it easy to say, “Hey, my church is blessing backpacks this Sunday – would you like to come?” This could be one of the best evangelism opportunities of the year!

Also, if your church has a connection with a local school or after-school center, invite them too. You might even take out an ad in the local paper. At the very least, publicize the event on facebook and through email. You will be surprised how many people turn out. 3. Use a Prayer or Liturgy for the Blessing When the blessing time comes, the celebrant can simply call students forward and offer a prayer. Have the students hold up the packs during the prayer. If you are looking for a good prayer, see Blessing Backpacks Prayer by Wendy Barrie. For a short liturgy from a service held at Virginia Seminary, see Blessing of the Backpacks at VTS. 4. Make Bag Tags Make sure that your students remember the blessing event and how much God loves them. Making “bag tags” is easy, and you can personalize them exactly as you want. Simply print out tags on colored paper or cardstock, and then laminate them with these custom plastic tag holders from Staples. What to write on the tag?

Try a prayer for students. Or a scripture verse. WWJD works great too. Also, include your church name on the tag so the students know how much your community values them. “From your friends at ______ Church” is perfect. 5. Remember Teachers and Adults Blessing the backpacks is not just for the kiddos. College students, come on down! Adults headed back to school, you too! Make this invitation clear in the pre-event publicity, and encourage adults to bring their bags or briefcases. Of course, even if some folks, or kids, forget their bags, still invite them up front during the blessing. After all, it is really a blessing of people – you don’t need a bag to get blessed =) A quick note, we do not recommend this as a time to bless and commission Sunday School teachers. That special moment should be separate and distinct, and probably on a different Sunday. 6. Consider Incorporating Outreach Some churches have programs of buying backpacks for needy students and filling them with school supplies.