For many children in Georgetown ISD, the end of the school week can mean uncertainty about their next meal. Weekends can be a time of food insecurity for hundreds of local students. That’s where Georgetown Backpack Buddies steps in — a Georgetown nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that no child in our community goes hungry over the weekend.
A Simple, Powerful Mission. Founded in 2009, Backpack Buddies provides weekend food packs to Georgetown ISD students in grades Pre-K through 12 who qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Each week, over 1,000 students receive a bag filled with 8–10 nutritious, nonperishable food items to take home, helping to bridge the gap until Monday morning. The goal is simple: to ensure every child returns to school, nourished and ready to learn. A second grader told Backpack Buddies, “My family is happy to get food”.
Seeds of Strength: Fueling the Mission. This year, Seeds of Strength awarded a $25,000 grant to Backpack Buddies funding over 5,000 weekend food packs. This funding partnership ensures that more children have access to the nutrition they need, and it exemplifies the power of women’s collective philanthropy in action. Seeds of Strength Compliance Liaison, Karen Sikra, is proud to partner with Backpack Buddies to ensure the grant accomplishes the defined program objectives. Backpack Buddies is a longtime partner with Seeds of Strength receiving one of the first grants in 2010. Our members consistently choose to invest in this important mission to feed our school age children.
Community-Powered Impact. Backpack Buddies is powered entirely by volunteers — over 100 community members gather each week to assemble and deliver food packs to all 20 GISD campuses. Seeds of Strength will offer volunteer opportunities this year for members to participate in assembly of packs. Watch for details in our newsletter and social media. Find out more about Georgetown Backpack Buddies at georgetownbackpackbuddies.org.
— reprinted from October 2025’s member newsletter