Friday, November 10 | 5-9 PM – Holiday Extravaganza by
Backpack Friends in Historic Downtown Round Rock!
Bring the entire family to Holiday Extravaganza by
Backpack Friends in Historic Downtown Round Rock for shopping, food trucks, kids activities, face painting and balloon art, life-size snow globe, kiddie train, Santa photo opp in Santa’s Sleigh, live music, and so much more!
Your contributions help Backpack Friends wipe out weekend hunger in our local communities.
Where: Centennial Plaza, 301 W. Baghdad St., Round Rock
When: Friday, November 10, 5-9 PM
Come visit the Life Is Better With Friends booth and get a "My Friends and I" book for your kiddos! For every 3 books sold, we donate 1 book to Backpack Friends!
About Backpack Friends
Marí, a sophmore in high school, passed out one Monday morning in her English class. She wasn’t contagious. She wasn’t sick. She was a ‘couch surfer’ who hadn’t had anything to eat all weekend. When I got wind of what happened I told my wife, Heather, about it. Her school was just a few blocks away and we felt like we needed to do something.
I learned that 1 out of 4 kids in Texas doesn’t have regular access to food when away from their school campus (just like Marí). So we began a pilot project in the area. We banded together with the school district and a handful of churches. Our particular group began feeding 12 elementary students at one campus and, within a couple of years, grew into almost 90 kids across 4 campuses.
In 2018, we launched the nonprofit Backpack Friends (501c3) so we could grow the program and feed more kids across central Texas. As of today, we’ve provided almost 100,000 weekend food kits to children across Travis, Williamson and Burnet counties. It only costs $5 to feed a child for the entire weekend. And with fundraisers and donations, our program is completely anonymous and completely free to any student who might be in need.
Every Monday night we host packing parties — think of Beyoncè and Costco having a baby and throwing a rave — where volunteers assemble food kits for students across the area. And every Thursday our army of volunteers delivers to local school campuses.
Every Friday during the school year, students can discreetly and anonymously pick up weekend food and slip it into their backpack before leaving campus.
We’ve always believed that leadership isn’t about being in charge… it’s about caring for those in your charge. And our Backpack Friends team live that out every day. Whether someone donates $20/mo, volunteers in the warehouse, or helps connect our organization to corporate sponsorships, everyone can be a hero to a child in need. Hunger is complicated. But feeding a child isn’t.
Volunteer Opportunities
There are several ways to volunteer with Backpack Friends:
Packing Parties
Our team of difference-makers is the heart and soul of our program. And who doesn't love a good time?!? Whether it's scouts, church groups, civic groups or corporate groups, come join our packing parties!
See a list of volunteer dates here.
Individual Volunteers
Can you help us for a few hours in the workroom? We're ALWAYS in need of volunteers to help us stock, count, sort, and prep bags and bins.
Email admin@backpackfriends.com to get on our volunteer list or text 512-965-3052.
Delivery Volunteers
Can you drive? Backpack Friends delivers food to kids EVERY week so there is a constant need for drivers!
To volunteer with our campus delivery team, choose a campus near you.
Fundraisers
Do you have a passion for events? Do you have good organizational skills? We'll try almost everything! Fun runs. Foodie Crawls. Concerts. House parties. Child sponsorships. Yard sales. Hunger walks. Motorcycle tour rides. Church lock-ins. Food drives. Even our online store. If you love talking to people, this is YOUR spot!
Email admin@backpackfriends.com to join our team.
Corporate and Individual Sponsorships
Some volunteers are door-openers: they help us partner with local businesses, as well as large corporations, who also want to make an impact thru their community development programs. Every little bit helps...see our #831 Story, then visit the Partners page.
Let's be heroes and fight hunger in our local communities!