Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study on food insecurity, released in May, proved what our agencies, partners, and volunteers witness every day. More neighbors than ever are experiencing food insecurity. Within the Regional Food Bank’s 23-county service area, 12.2% of our population is food insecure, and a staggering 15.4% of children in the region experience food insecurity.
This means that one in seven children in our region don’t always know where they will find their next meal. This challenge is heightened when students are on summer vacation. While many kids cheer for the final bell of the school year in late June, our staff and partners have been planning how to make sure no one goes without for the summer months.
An extension of our school-year BackPack Program, the Summer BackPack Program focuses on addressing childhood hunger in our region. This summer, thanks to our supporters, school partners, and volunteers, we distributed more than 11,500 Summer BackPack bags to 2,000 kids across 55 communities. “The impact of the Summer BackPack Program continues to expand, due in large part to the support of our school partners and dedicated community volunteers.” said Betsy Dickson, Senior Director of Children’s Programs. “This year, we partnered with new schools, many in rural areas, where otherwise children (and their parents) would be worried about where their next meal may come from.”
Through funding from the New York State Department of Education and the USDA, we sponsored the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for students living in designated rural communities. In 2025, we partnered with ten school districts in four counties to pilot a new home delivery program. More than 450 students, referred by school personnel, received a weekly delivery box which included 14 non-perishable, easy-to-prepare meals (seven breakfasts and seven lunches). The home delivery model, the first of its kind in New York State, is an innovative way to eliminate transportation barriers faced by rural families who struggle to get to traditional summer feeding locations.
As we’re entering the school year, our 2025-2026 BackPack Program is beginning. This program is designed to meet the needs of students by providing child-friendly, non-perishable items for the weekends. This program serves 5,300 students in more than 220 schools across 22 counties. Last school year, more than 167,000 bags were distributed – equal to more than 1.4 million meals.
Our School Pantry Program provides a flexible food pantry where students can choose the foods they would like based on individual needs, preferences, and cooking ability. Students can choose from non-perishable, fresh, frozen, and refrigerated options throughout the school year on an as-needed basis. During the 2024-25 school year, more than 500,000 meals were distributed, and we anticipate the need to increase for the 2025-26 school year.
These student-focused programs are having a meaningful impact in our communities. We regularly hear how important the program is from school partners who work with enrolled students every day. We also know that the need is increasing and we are committed to meeting this challenge.
“It’s truly humbling to see the service statistics laid out and to reflect on the difference this program makes in the lives of our students and their families. The gratitude is truly mutual—we are the lucky ones to have such a dedicated and compassionate partner in the Food Bank.
We are deeply appreciative of all the support, coordination, and care that goes into making the BackPack Program a success. It’s so much more than food—it’s dignity, security, and a sense of being seen and supported. We know what this means to our kids, and we’re committed to continuing this work however we can. This work is too important not to continue.”
-School Partner
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