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About Blessings in a Backpack Galesburg:

Blessings in a Backpack provides weekend food for children to improve their lives, help them succeed in school, and give them hope. A donation of just $100 has the power to feed a child on the weekends for the entire 36-week school year. Through the work of college and community volunteers, food-insecure students at King, Steele, Silas Willard, and Lombard schools are provided with backpacks of food to take home on the weekends. For some, this is the only food they will have for the weekend. All of this couldn't be done without the generosity of the Galesburg community, volunteers, and donors!

In 2010, a group of Knox College students took the initiative to bring Blessings in a Backpack to Galesburg. Finding support in the community, students at Knox were able to partner with First Presbyterian Church and Galesburg CUSD #205 to bring this initiative to life. For the 2024 - 2025 school year the Knox/Galesburg Blessings in a Backpack program serves 400 students in District #205. With the help of our contributors and the community, we have improved the quantity and quality of food provided. As an example, every week Knox students have donated fresh apples for our children. Hy-Vee in Galesburg, Knox College, First Presbyterian Church, Iron Spike, MSI, the Galesburg Lions Club and Galesburg's Rotary Clubs have become strong partners in the fight against hunger in our community. The Knox College Blessings in a Backpack chapter meets every Tuesday at 6pm at First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg to pack the bags with food. The organization raises $50,000 annually to meet its goal.