Triad BackPack Program helps feed children on weekends

When school cafeterias closed on Friday afternoon, thousands of Guilford County children faced a familiar gap: two days without the meals they could count on during the school week. United Way of Greater High Point said its BackPack program stepped in to fill that gap, providing weekend meals for elementary school students in High Point, Archdale and Trinity.

The local effort showed how hunger in Guilford County was not a one-time emergency but a recurring budget problem for families. United Way of Greater High Point said it provided nutritious, kid-friendly, pre-packaged food for 2,000 children during the school year, holidays and summer break. Its volunteer efforts added another layer of scale, with 2,000 backpacks packed each week for children within Guilford County.

The need behind those numbers was substantial. BackPack Beginnings said more than 49,000 Guilford County Schools children qualified for free or reduced-price meals. The organization also said 17% of people in Guilford County were food insecure, over 23% of children in the county were food insecure, and 1 in 4 children faced hunger every day. Across North Carolina, BackPack Beginnings said more than 443,040 children were food insecure.

That pressure explained why the BackPack model has spread far beyond the Triad. Feeding America said there are more than 10,000 Backpack Programs across the United States, reflecting how many school systems now rely on weekend food support to bridge the days when classrooms and cafeterias are closed. In Guilford County, the approach has become part of a wider network of help.

United Way of Greater High Point said it serves High Point, Archdale, Trinity and Jamestown, and works with 24 local agencies funding 57 programs. Another nearby effort, Out of the Garden Project, said it partnered with more than 50 Guilford County schools and served 1,900 students and their families with weekend food every Friday. Together, those numbers pointed to the same reality across Guilford County: for many children, the weekend still carries a hunger risk that school-day meal programs alone cannot erase.