Since its conception in 2010, Bill’s Backpacks has provided food for local children in need. As they continue to serve, those interested in helping have many opportunities to do so.
“I think people want to help, but they don’t know how to help,” Board President Carrie Ellis said. “That gives them a place that they trust that is really helping. Each little bit, no matter how small you think it is, adds up, and it’s meaningful to this process.”
The idea to start Bill’s Backpacks came when founder Tracy Barker’s brother committed suicide. As she looked for something good to come from it, she was inspired by a news piece featuring the Lubbock weekend snack program.
She realized there was a need and, with help from her church and lunch group, started serving food for kids in need out of her garage.
In 2018, community members got together to make Bill’s Backpacks a nonprofit organization. They put together a board and have served every week since.
“I’m a huge believer that education is really the key to breaking the poverty cycle,” Ellis said. “It gives so many opportunities to write your own story, but in order to be a full participant in the education offered, you can’t be hungry. Most people were really excited, and it was fun to be a part of the early stages of how it came together.”
Getting bags to kids starts with donations from community members and businesses. Volunteers then sort food items and bag or box them. More volunteers pack the bags in crates to be delivered to schools. The crates are then brought back, and the process starts again.
Sometimes if [a kid is] gone on Friday, they get the kid on Monday or Tuesday because it is unlikely you’re ever going to give that child too much food,” Ellis said. “Somebody has donated the food, somebody has thoughtfully arranged the bag for them. Send the bag home with them when they come back to school, and it will give them food in their belly for the next time.”
The organization provides 10 items to students every weekend throughout the school year. On long weekends, an additional 5 items are added for each day. For longer breaks, children are given boxes with enough food to last.
“We’re usually trying to cover all the lunch, all the breakfast and snacks,” Ellis said. “If they really stretch it, it could give them three meals a day, but ideally, we’re trying to cover at least two and some snacks.”
Bill’s Backpacks recently celebrated 50,000 bags filled since they started in 2019. Ellis said the organization impacts both kids who receive bags and those who don’t.
“We’ve seen kids come in, and they were a recipient of some of the bags,” Ellis said. “Then we’ve seen other kids that didn’t need a bag, but they saw that there were people that needed this, and it gave them more empathy for those around them. We hope that it’s serving a purpose of actually feeding kids but also giving people a place to believe in a village that really is supporting them.”
To support Bill’s Backpacks, community members can donate food. They can also give one-time or monthly donations.
“It’s all going to food and that each little piece is meaningful to the cog,” Ellis said. “I think monthly it comes out to $10, and it doesn’t seem like much, but at the end of the year, you’ve nearly paid for a kid to eat for half a year.”
Another way to help is through volunteering time sorting and bagging each month at Carver. Groups wishing to volunteer can call in ahead of time to sign up.
“You can move mountains with 10-15 people,” Ellis said. “You don’t have to have skills. Just show up and we’ll put you to work.”
The schedule for next school year will be available in August. To find the food item of the month, bagging dates and times and other information, visit the Bill’s Backpacks website or Facebook page.
“It all has an impact,” Ellis said. “Whether you give a box of Pop-Tarts, stay for an hour or become a regular board member, it all adds up.”