Backpacks for Kids

Every Thursday during the school year, dedicated volunteers gather with a simple, but important, mission: making sure local children have enough food to eat over the weekend.

Through Chimacum Backpacks for Kids, an average of 144 food bags are packed each week for students at Chimacum Primary, Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. At approximately $13.75 per bag, that’s nearly $2,000 worth of food provided to local children each week.

On Fridays, the bags are discreetly distributed through the schools for students to take home. For some children, that backpack means knowing they will have something to eat when school cafeterias are closed and the weekend begins.

It Takes a Community…

Volunteers are essential to the program, but it takes an entire community to keep those backpacks filled.= Two Port Ludlow neighborhoods—Ludlow Cove Cottages and Montgomery Lane Neighbors—have embraced Backpacks for Kids by turning neighborhood gatherings into opportunities to give back.

The Cove hosts an annual Oktoberfest, where neighbors enjoy a German potluck and raffle while raising money for the program. Montgomery Lane residents also raise funds through gatherings such as their Fourth of July celebration and wine tastings at Marrowstone Vineyards.

The Bay Club contributes through its annual pancake breakfast in September, bringing neighbors together while supporting local students.

These events remind us that fundraising doesn’t always feel like fundraising. Sometimes it’s sharing a meal, celebrating a holiday, raising a glass with friends, or simply gathering with neighbors—all while helping a local child.b At the end of the school year, remaining funds provide scholarships for Chimacum High School seniors.

Chimacum Backpacks for Kids, the Chimacum School District, volunteers, donors, and local neighborhoods have created a network of support built around one simple belief:

No child should have to worry about going hungry over the weekend

It can begin with an Oktoberfest, a Fourth of July gathering, a wine tasting, or a pancake breakfast. It can be a Thursday morning spent packing bags or a neighbor providing a donation.

Together, our community is doing more than filling backpacks. We are filling a need, supporting local families, and showing children, our future leaders, what it means to care for one another.

To learn more, to donate, or to find out how your neighborhood can host an event, visit chimacumbackpacksforkids.com.