Relieving Child Hunger in Copper Country in Partnership with 31 Backpacks

Coordinators of 31 Backpacks Melissa and Laurel smiling in their pantry

Providing necessities to hundreds of at-risk Copper Country children every week, 31 Backpacks is a partner agency of Feeding America West Michigan that works to ensure kids in Keweenaw, Houghton and Baraga counties have food to eat over the weekends and on holidays.

Run by the mother-daughter duo of Laurel and Melissa, 31 Backpacks began 12 years ago after Laurel’s sister told her about a backpack program in Arizona, which inspired her to check in with a local schoolteacher in Houghton to see if there was a need for food for children in the area. After learning that many children were in fact experiencing hunger, the two teamed up, got connected with a school and pitched their idea of providing food to children in need.

“We had a long conversation about how we were going to do this, and the school told us they would figure out the number of kids in need, and we just needed to get the food. Then when we were setting up our 501(c)(3), we got an email from the school district with the subject line ’31 backpacks.’ And that was it—we called ourselves 31 Backpacks and began providing food for 31 children in the fall.”

The program has grown significantly since then. Now, volunteers pack bags every single week to be delivered to nine schools across the Copper Country Intermediate School District. They operate by discretely placing the food items into the lockers of students so that they can take their items home. Administration for the schools has shared with the 31 Backpacks team how great the impact has been for the children; they’ve seen firsthand how big of a difference having enough food to eat can make.

“Students are happier, aren’t hungry, have fewer absences, grades are up and there’s a higher graduation rate.”

31 Backpacks receives food from the food bank to add into the mix of items they have intentionally chosen to distribute by keeping the kids in mind. While the items packed vary week by week, some examples of foods kids receive are soup, fruit strips, oatmeal, cereal and fresh fruits like apples, tangerines and bananas.

“You have to remember that the items need to be things a 5-year-old could prepare. And we think it is so important to get food directly into the hands of the kids, so we know it has to be simple items.”

After running successfully for so many years, 31 Backpacks has now mentored numerous other organizations, spreading their mission of assuring no children go to bed hungry.

As the local food bank serving West Michigan and the entire Upper Peninsula, Feeding America West Michigan is proud to partner with organizations like 31 Backpacks in order to work together to end hunger. At-risk children in our community need our assistance—and by working together we can ensure children are fed, and their futures are nourished.