What We Do
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Did You Know?
Over 14,000 children in Loudoun County are food insecure. What does it mean? It means that they may not know where their next meal is coming from.
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Schools Supported by Backpack Buddies
Belmont Station Elementary School
Countryside Elementary School
Dominion High School
Meadowland Elementary School
Rolling Ridge Elementary School
Sanders Corner Elementary School
Seldens Landing Elementary School
Seneca Ridge Middle School
Steuart Weller Elementary School
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Weekend Lunches
Each weekend pack contains 6 meals, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and snacks for the weekend to low income families and/or too children who receive free or reduced lunch on school days.
Galilee United Methodist Church's Backpack Buddies program was established in January 2011, when we learned that teachers at a local school were reporting their students had little to eat at home over the weekend and holiday breaks. We quickly responded to this need by launching the Backpack Buddies Program, initially supporting 30 students at one school. In the twelve years since the program's inception, Backpack Buddies has grown to serve 500 children.
The program is run by a volunteer leadership team and supported by generous donations of food, money and time from the congregants of Galilee and members of the Loudoun community. Each year, our volunteers pack and distribute over 15,000 meal packs to our nine partner schools.
But we know that we cannot do this alone. We are fortunate to live in a community that cares so deeply for the children in our own neighborhood. We invite you to join us in our efforts to ensure that every child has nutritious meals when school is not in session.