Hendersonville

Backpack Program

Fueling Futures – One Backpack at a Time


At First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, we are passionate about helping local children thrive. The Hendersonville Backpack Program provides weekend food bags so that children come to school on Monday mornings focused, nourished, and ready to learn.









Every Bite Counts: A Weekend of Food for a Week of Possibilities

Students at risk for food insecurity are often the ones most affected by the achievement gap. Many rely on school cafeterias for the majority of their nutrition during the week. Our program sends food home at the end of the week to ensure students are well fed over the weekend and return to school Monday mornings, ready to learn.

The Hendersonville Backpack Program bridges the weekend food gap for local children. We deliver shelf-stable food to five Hendersonville schools and to the Boys & Girls Club. Food items vary, but our goal is to provide food to supplement six weekend meals. A typical food bag might include: tuna, cereal, mac-n-cheese, a packaged entrée, canned vegetables, fruit cups, and a few snacks. We deliver backpacks year-round, feeding over 100 children each week.

Since 2004, First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville has sponsored this backpack program and has delivered more than 100,000 backpacks to local children. What started small now delivers over 5,000 backpacks every year.

First United Methodist Church donates space to store food and assemble backpacks.









Children Nourished

“Thanks to the Hendersonville Backpack Program, Hendersonville Elementary School families facing food insecurity now have access to nourishing meals and snacks, letting students come to school focused and ready to learn. The reliable and consistent backpacks support our children being well-fed and cared for, creating a stronger learning environment for our entire school community.”

Kaylee Prochilo, Counselor
Hendersonville Elementary School









Volunteer Managed

The Hendersonville Backpack Program is completely volunteer managed. Volunteers:

  • Collect purchased and donated foods
  • Prepare and assemble food bags
  • Organize and stock shelves in the food room
  • Deliver the bags to local schools and the Boys & Girls Club for children’s weekend meals

If you’d like to help with shopping, packing, or delivery, we would love to talk with you.







Fueling Futures – One Backpack at a Time

Every backpack represents a weekend of peace of mind for a child and their family. Together, we are feeding children, building futures, and sharing Christ’s love with our neighbors. Thank you for partnering with us in this vital ministry.

Want More Information?

Email us at hendersonvillebackpack@gmail.com. 

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