Our Story

In 2005, Missy Hammerstrom developed the concept of Blessings in a Backpack. Missy discovered that elementary school students in her hometown of Louisville, Ky., were coming to school hungry on Mondays because they lacked sufficient nutrition over the weekends. She proposed sending children home with backpacks of food on Fridays to bridge the weekend hunger gap—that’s 65 hours with little or no food. That program now serves over 90,000 children each school weekend in 46 states.

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On Long Island

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In October 2013, two moms set out to make a difference on Long Island. Under the guidance of the National Organization, the Blessings in a Backpack Longwood Program was established. Our program began providing weekend food packs to 50 children every Friday. Over the past 13 years, the program has expanded to distribute weekly food packs to more than 550 children across six campuses in the Longwood Central School District.

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In 2024, the volunteers at Longwood recognized a greater need and expanded their fundraising efforts to feed students in other school districts. Thus was born Blessings Across Long Island. Now serving 1200 children each school weekend.

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Blessings Across Long Island is dedicated to serving the local communityby providing essential resources and support to those in need. Through our various programs and initiatives we strive to make a positive impact on the lives of the individuals and familes across Long Island​​​​​

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