Blessings in a Backpack is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that elementary school children are fed over the weekends. In partnership with CBS Radio, the 501(c)(3) organization will feed over 700 students in 12 communities during the school year.
This project is funded by CBS EcoMedia’s program, which uses ad dollars to fund community projects working in concert with its nonprofit partners. Stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and elsewhere are participating in the program.
“No child should have to go hungry,” said Brooke Wiseman, CEO of Blessings in a Backpack. “We are so thankful for the generosity and dedication of our partners, like CBS EcoMedia, that work to enhance Blessings’ impact and allow the program to reach a growing number of children across the nation.”
Blessings in a Backpack works with volunteers to collect and package backpacks full of food, distributing them on Fridays to children who qualify for the federally-funded National School Lunch Program, currently feeding more than 60,000 children across 43 states in over 500 schools.
“It is simply unacceptable that even one child — one person — should go hungry in America, and at EcoMedia, we’ve made it our mission to address the issue,” said Paul Polizzotto, founder and president of CBS EcoMedia, Inc.
The CBS Radio partnership will support schools in: Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Hartford, Conn., Houston, Los Angeles; Minneapolis, Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; St. Louis, San Francisco and Tampa, Fla.
CBS Radio owns and operates 126 stations in 27 markets, including all of the Top 10, covering news, sports, talk, rock, country, top 40, classic hits, and urban formats, among others. CBS Radio also reaches audiences through CBS Sports Radio, Radio.com and CBS Local Digital Media.