Blessings in a Backpack RVC

02/04/2025

Local Bites Delivery has created a code for you to use when you order that will generate donations for BIBRVC. Use the code "BACKPACK."

10/29/2024

We are currently serving 300 local students every week in Bourbonnais Elementary School District #53, Bradley Elementary School District #61, Kankakee School District 111 and Momence Community Unit School District 1. Your contributions help us feed the most vulnerable kids each week during the school year. 30 weeks of child friendly, nutritious food are delivered to the students' schools by volunteers all for about $130 per child per year. Thank you for your generosity and for joining us in providing hunger free weekends for our local children.

Did you know? 🧐

More than 13.8 million children across the U.S. face food insecurity, not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Last school year, Blessings in a Backpack provided over 3.3 million hunger-free weekends to help close the weekend hunger gap!

You can help us keep the momentum going—because every backpack makes a difference! Learn more at blessingsinabackpack.org.

10/17/2024

We were grateful to receive one of United Way of Kankakee & Iroquois Counties grants this year!

10/16/2024

Thanks to Fieldstone Credit Union for their recent donation to BIB!

02/08/2024

I was about to celebrate my 42nd birthday when we launched Blessings in a Backpack RVC in January 2013. Eleven years later, we continue to serve local students at risk for food insecurity and childhood hunger each weekend. Students in Bourbonnais Elementary School District #53, Bradley Elementary School District #61, Kankakee School District 111 and Momence Community Unit School District receive nutritious, child-friendly food every weekend because of generous donations from wonderful people like you. Every donation, $5, $10, $20, $53 or even $100 or more will help us continue to give hunger free weekends to our local children.

Learn more about River Valley Communities

01/27/2024

Now that the famous MLK quotes have faded from your feed, and Black History Month is just days away, it's time to get serious about becoming the beloved community, Kankakee County. You are invited to this FREE showing of 117 minutes of engaging stories and interviews by one of our nation's premier black history educators, Jeffery Robinson. A brief discussion will follow facilitated by our own black history educator Shannon Swilley and anti-racism educator, yours truly. Funded in part by an IDHS Healing Illinois Grant awarded to the YWCA Kankakee, in partnership with Project SUN Kankakee and The Grow Center, the film kicks off a series of five film and discussion events on the last Tuesday of the month January through May. Limited seats are filling up quickly, so grab yours this weekend and join us on Tuesday, Jan 30th Doors open at 5:30p.m. Tickets must be reserved in advance. So, go get yours: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/until-justice-just-is-january-2024-film-screening-tickets-789367999937

11/28/2023

Join the celebration this as we celebrate a milestone – impacting over a million children. Help us continue the journey to end weekend hunger by contributing to our $1000 goal. Today, your gift is DOUBLED.
To donate directly to our chapter, please use our new donation link: https://giving.blessingsinabackpack.org/organizations/river-valley-communities

11/27/2023

Giving Tuesday is TOMORROW! This year, Blessings in a Backpack is celebrating a remarkable milestone: impacting over one million children’s lives! But the journey doesn’t end here; 7.3 million American children still need our help!

To help us feed even more kids, we have a matching gift challenge! That means dollars given in support of Blessings programs on Giving Tuesday will be matched until donations have reached a total of $5,000. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to impact twice as many children this holiday season!

Will you help us feed the next million kids?
To donate directly to our chapter, Blessings in a Backpack River Valley Communities, use our new donation link: https://giving.blessingsinabackpack.org/organizations/river-valley-communities

11/17/2023

In Kankakee County we are ensuring that hundreds of school aged children receive enough food to get them through the weekend. Today, sixteen school buildings are distributing packages of child friendly and nutritious food to our most vulnerable and at risk students for the weekend. We are able to do this because of the generosity of this community. Whether you come back to this page on Giving Tuesday, or give today, your donation helps us keep our local children from being a one in nine without enough to eat. Thank you! https://giving.blessingsinabackpack.org/organizations/river-valley-communities

11/17/2023

There really is enough food for everyone to have what they need to live in the United States of America. And, right here in Kankakee County there are enough dollars to make that a reality for hundreds of school aged children every weekend. We all have the freedom to choose to give from our resources to provide hungry children with weekend nutrition during the school year. we hope you will choose to support Blessings in a Backpack River Valley Communities and help us end childhood hunger in our community. https://giving.blessingsinabackpack.org/organizations/river-valley-communities

11/16/2023

The human loss and economic costs of childhood hunger are staggering. The old saying, you are what you eat, has grave consequences when you have nothing to eat on a regular bases. For children, the results of childhood hunger physically, mentally, and socially are unacceptable in a country with more than enough food for every child. That took you about 10 seconds to read.
How about spending a couple minutes to make a donation to Blessings in a Backpack River Valley Communities and help us add healthy years to the lives of hundreds of children in Kankakee County. https://giving.blessingsinabackpack.org/organizations/river-valley-communities

11/16/2023

Ending childhood hunger in Kankakee County is not rocket science. Although, at Blessings in Backpack, we have worked with nutritionist and food suppliers to ensure our students receive high quality nutrition and child friendly foods packaged for easy distribution and consumption. Ending childhood hunger doesn't require the skills of astrophysicists. It only requires big hearts and generosity from a community that cares. Join us with your support and be part of the community that cared in a child's life. https://giving.blessingsinabackpack.org/organizations/river-valley-communities