Altrusa International of Longview-Kelso Foundation

Hunger doesn’t take the weekend off!

The Backpack Buddies Project is a hands-on service project of Altrusa International of Longview-Kelso that serves homeless and underprivileged children in five low-income elementary schools.  These schools include Kessler, Mint Valley, Northlake and Robert Gray in Longview and Lexington in Kelso.

Altrusa's Backpack Buddies program serves over 180 unduplicated students in Longview and Kelso a weekend bag of nourishing food totaling 6 meals: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 snacks and 2 dinners. The entire menu is made up of packaged, non-perishable items that are ready-to-eat so that a child can easily prepare them without the use of a stove.

Research shows that food insufficiency has a profound effect on the academic performance of children in school, as well as on the psychosocial development.

Local Statistics: Over 63% of local school age students are from low income families.  

Backpack Buddies Expenses, 2022-2023 school year: $15,171 at $3.71 per weekend bag.  

As of April 15, 2024, over 4,100 weekend food bags had been distributed.

The famous Altrusan, Eleanor Roosevelt, once said, "Freedom to eat is one of the most important freedoms."