Fueling Florida’s future with a ‘blessing in a backpack’

Every student at Tice Elementary School looks forward to Friday. It is the day they all receive their ‘blessing in a backpack.’

“They’re taking home two breakfasts and two lunches and a snack to get them through the weekend,” said Cecilia St. Arnold, executive director of Blessings In A Backpack. “The snacks inside are really good.”

They are not just tasty treats — they are multiple meals. Each prepared package costs less than $3 but provides more nutrition than some children can find at home.

“What happens in the classroom is these children come to school hungry,” St. Arnold said. “They can’t focus. They can’t learn.”

St. Arnold is happy to help feed that childhood hunger through her program. They are considering expanding the program to three schools with a goal to feed 5,000 children in the next 12 months. One private donor funds the program.

One of the highlights of her job, St. Arnold said, is helping families like the Felipe with three kids who come home every weekend with backpacks full of food.

“It’s really important because coming home and the kids coming home,” Icelda Felipe, a parent, said in tears. “It helps a lot. It does.”