Community Backpack Project

Weekend Meals to Take Home

The Community Backpack Project (CBP) is an outreach program of the Self-Help Closet & Pantry of Des Plaines, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Elementary students in Community Consolidated School District 62 who are in need can take home a backpack full of food to last through the weekend. These are students who participate in the free or reduced cost breakfast and lunch program at school during the week.

How CBP Works

School social workers communicate with the CBP on the number of backpacks they need each week. Only the social workers know who the students are. The CBP fills the backpacks with easy-to-prepare meals such as oatmeal, canned soup, instant pasta dishes, canned protein, applesauce, snacks and juice. Volunteers deliver the backpacks to each school and they are given to the students to take home and then to return empty to be filled for the next weekend.

If your child receives free or reduced meals at school and is not yet a part of the CBP, please contact your school to ask how to sign up. The program is free.

Donate $23 to feed a child for the weekend or $850 for an entire school year.

Food and Education Go Hand-in-Hand

Children whose families are food insecure may only be eating through school meal programs. Students who are hungry are sick more often, miss more school days and fall behind in their education. They may find it hard to concentrate and may fall asleep in class. If a child is hungry, they may lack energy to play with friends and have fun - activities that also help them thrive. Just a little bit of food helps break this cycle so kids can just be kids.

women's basketball players from Oakton Community College pose on the court with their donations

The Oakton College women's basketball team collected food donations at their home games for the Community Backpack Project.

How You Can Help

The CBP currently serves more than 150 students in the school district. We need volunteers to shop, shelve, pack and deliver food.

We also need financial support to restock our shelves each week. You can make a donation through our secure PayPal link. Be sure to type "CBP" in the section to "add a note to your donation" after you log in to PayPal. Or mail us a check payable to Community Backpack Project.

Whether you are an organization, a business or an individual, you can help us meet the needs of our students.

Please contact CBP Coordinator, Jana Haas at 847-951-5111.

Current Donation Needs

If you would like to donate food items to the CBP, you can bring them to the Pantry during donation hours or on Wednesdays between 12-2 p.m. You can also drop a bag of items in red or blue barrels around Des Plaines. Please include a slip of paper marked "CBP" with your donation so we can be sure the items get in the backpacks.