Blessings in a Backpack Partners with Spartan Kids Foundation for National Contest

The nonprofits are teaming up to raise funds to feed hungry kids during the new school year, contest submission deadline Oct 15

Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit that provides food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry, is partnering with the Spartan Kids Foundation for a nationwide t-shirt design contest to raise funds for childhood hunger. In honor of Back-to-School Month, the national nonprofit is asking children to use their creativity skills and design the new Blessings in a Backpack t-shirt. The contest is now underway and is running through Thursday, Oct. 15.

“We are excited to strengthen our partnership with the Spartan Kids Foundation, which provides experiences to underserved and challenged youth to promote healthy and active lifestyles,” said Nikki Grizzle, Chief Marketing Officer of Blessings in a Backpack. “Across the country, there have been so many kids needing to be fed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even though many schools are turning to virtual classrooms, our mission remains the same – to make sure these kids have food to eat. With this new contest, we will be able to celebrate the creative talents of kids across the country and ultimately feed more children who are suffering from food insecurity this school year, as each entry helps with donations.”

Blessings in a Backpack is aiming to raise $25,000 during this national fundraiser, with the Spartan Kids Foundation set to donate $20 to Blessings for every contest entry submitted. Blessings in a Backpack currently feeds over 87,000 children in 1,092 schools across 45 states and the District of Columbia. There are more than 11 million in the United States who are at risk of hunger.

“Our organization is centered around teaching kids how to demonstrate their strength, resiliency and teamwork, and we know this contest will allow them to showcase those values and support their peers who are suffering from the effects of hunger,” said Al Schreiber, Co-Founder of the Spartan Kids Foundation. “We are excited to see how kids across the nation will make a difference in the lives of other kids through this initiative.”

To participate in this contest, children ages 12 and under can print out the form on the Blessings in a Backpack website and draw their favorite thing about school. Once the artwork is completed, parents are encouraged to fill out the form, scan it and submit it on the website before Oct. 15.

The national Blessings in a Backpack team will select the top 10 finalists and share their designs on the national Facebook page, where social media followers will vote for their favorite design. Voting will run Oct. 19-23 and the winner will be announced the week of Oct. 26. The winning artist will receive a $50 Amazon gift card, a Blessings in a Backpack prize package that includes their designed t-shirt, a free Spartan Kids Race code and their name will appear under the artwork on all printed shirts.

For 15 years, Blessings in a Backpack has been dedicated to feeding kids on the weekend, and its efforts have not stopped throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Blessings in a Backpack’s partnership with the Spartan Kids Foundation began in May, when the foundation became the nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday Now match, to raise funds for hungry kids suffering from the effects of the pandemic. This partnership led to a national fundraiser, Kids Helping Kids, which empowers families to participate in a virtual race where proceeds go toward feeding less fortunate children. This new initiative is intended to bring awareness to the many children who are suffering from lack of nutrition across the nation.

For more information and to enter the contest, visit https://www.blessingsinabackpack.org/shirt-design-contest/.

ABOUT BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK
Hunger has both short- and long-term negative effects on children's health and ability to succeed in school. Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. Blessings in a Backpack will provide 3 million hunger-free weekends this school year for more than 87,000 kids in 45 states and Washington, D.C. Visit www.blessingsinabackpack.org to learn how you can end childhood hunger on the weekends in your community.p>

ABOUT SPARTAN KIDS FOUNDATION (spartankidsfoundation.org)
Since its founding, four years ago, Spartan Kids Foundation has helped bring better health and fitness programs to over 50,000 underserved children in more than 200 schools and youth organizations. SKF has also distributed over 1,500 free Kids Race tickets to children who could not otherwise afford to attend. Last year SKF launched the SKF Fitness Grants initiative that has awarded $1,000 cash stipends for 30 title I schools nationwide.