Sonshine Backpacks
Feeding children with dignity, compassion, and hope—one weekend at a time
The Heart Behind the Ministry
The Sonshine Backpack Ministry ensures that children in our community have reliable weekend meals. Many students depend on school-provided breakfasts and lunches during the week, yet face empty pantries when Friday arrives. Each week, volunteers in the community prepare and deliver more than 100 food bags to local schools, offering nourishment, stability, and a tangible expression of Christ’s love.
Funding Needs
Feed a child for an entire school year, one month, or one week
Sonshine Backpacks is sustained entirely by donations from church members, community groups, and local organizations. Your generosity directly fills bags and feeds children in need, every dollar matters, and every gift makes a difference.
$325
Feed a child for an entire school year
$37
Feed a child for one month
$10
Feed a child for one week
Partnering with our local schools
We serve students across our local school community, including Mt. Pleasant Elementary, Mt. Pleasant Middle School, JN Fries Middle School, Odell Elementary School, and the food pantries at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Each weekend bag is filled with shelf-stable, child-friendly foods that students can prepare on their own, often the only reliable nutrition they have until school resumes on Monday.
What we provide
Each weekly bag includes a thoughtful selection of foods, including oatmeal, granola bars, Pop-Tarts, canned and microwaveable soups, pasta meals, fruit cups, applesauce, shelf-stable milk, juice boxes, popcorn, and pudding. Once a month, students also receive snack items, such as crackers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and raisins.
Three times a year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break, the students receive a Family Food Box. The food boxes provide food for the entire family during the extended school break.
Board of Directors
Community leaders guiding the mission
The Sonshine Backpack Ministry is guided by a dedicated board of directors who bring compassion, accountability, and deep community knowledge to this work. Together, they help steward resources, strengthen partnerships with local schools, and ensure that every decision keeps children and families at the center of the mission.
Bonita Rowland
Patti Fletcher
Janet Lentz
Karen Miller
Johnette Preddy
Jane Cauthen
Get Involved
Help us care for the children of our community
Interested in volunteering, donating items, or learning more? Contact a team member, and we will gladly connect with you.
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