The Champaign Community Foundation is excited to announce one of their 2025 grants of $500 to the Caring Kitchen’s Backpack Program.
Caring Kitchen partners with Urbana Schools to provide kid-friendly snacks and food items in backpacks for those children who experience food insecurity over the weekend. Since the program’s inception 13 years ago, the Caring Kitchen has provided over 130,000 backpacks, averaging about 10,000 each year.
Melissa Wright, Office Administrator, shares, “Caring Kitchen sees the value of helping the children in our local school system, so for many years now we have provided them with our Backpack Program as a free service. The food used in this program is purchased locally or through Second Harvest Food Bank.”
As the cost of backpacks rises, much like groceries, Caring Kitchen and participating schools take greater care in distribution, ensuring that backpacks are only going to students in need.
The Champaign Community Foundation is proud that this grant will offset food costs. The Caring Kitchen orders the food and supplies while overseeing the program, as well as providing warehousing, staff, and volunteers.
To learn more about Caring Kitchen, visit HERE.
