Our Community Initiatives
Help end food insecurity in our community
As the school year unfolds and families grapple with uncertainty, a growing number of children in Schenectady County are anxious not just about COVID-19 but also because they are unsure when their next meal will come. This is especially true for children on weekends when they are out of school.
The Weekend Backpack Program addresses food insecurity for more than 1,000 elementary school children in Schenectady County, providing a reliable source of nutritious food to children each Friday during the school year. These are the roughly 25% of children in our County who are food insecure. And those numbers seem to be on the rise as more people have lost employment. One "bad month" can be enough to plunge a household into food insecurity. Lay-offs at work, unexpected car maintenance or an accident on the job can suddenly force a family to choose between buying food and paying bills. Working families face countless situations that result in food insecurity and hunger.
While questions abound about how this school year will evolve, one constant is that kids should not go hungry. They will not; not on our watch, and not as long as our generous community continues its tradition of kindness and humanity. Weekend Backpack identifies those children most in need, and delivers on that need with great efficiency. We continue to serve each child for just $6 per week!
Your secure online DONATION will fight food insecurity by providing healthy food for children throughout the school year.
The Schenectady Foundation
c/o Weekend Backpack Fund
376 Broadway, 2nd Floor Schenectady, NY 12305
