Champaign Community Foundation Provides Grant for Caring Kitchen’s Backpack Program

​The Champaign Community Foundation is excited to announce one of their 2025 grants of $500 to the Caring Kitchen’s Backpack Program. Caring Kitchen partners with Urbana Schools to provide kid-friendly snacks and food items in backpacks for those children who experience food insecurity over the weekend. Since the program's inception 13 years ago, the Caring Kitchen has provided over 130,000 backpacks, averaging about 10,000 each year.

Melissa Wright, Office Administrator shares, “Caring Kitchen sees the value of helping the children in our local school system, so for many years now we have provided them with our Backpack Program as a free service. The food used in this program is purchased locally or through Second Harvest Food Bank.”

As the cost of backpacks have risen, much like groceries, Caring Kitchen and participating schools have been taking greater care in distribution, ensuring that backpacks are only going to students in need. The Champaign Community Foundation is proud that this grant will offset food costs. The Caring Kitchen orders the food and supplies while overseeing the program, as well as providing warehousing, staff, and volunteers. To learn more about Caring Kitchen, visit www.caringkitchen.org.

The Champaign Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Springfield Foundation that supports efforts to improve the quality of life in Champaign County, Ohio. Managed by the trusted expertise of the local Champaign County Advisory Board of Directors and Springfield Foundation staff, this endowment fund generates sustainable income to support Champaign County. Endowment funds play a vital role in sustaining organizations that shape our community's fabric, preserving Champaign County for future generations.

Contributions to the Champaign Community Foundation Endowment Fund are welcome from individuals, businesses, and organizations passionate about supporting our community. Donations can be made directly to the Springfield Foundation, designated for the Champaign Community Foundation.

The Springfield Foundation is a community foundation committed to enhancing the quality of life in our community through philanthropy. By connecting donors with meaningful causes and managing charitable funds with expertise and integrity, the foundation catalyzes positive change and sustainable growth across various sectors.

​For more information on the Champaign Community Foundation, contact us at 937-324-8773, P.O. Box 85, Urbana, OH 43078, www.springfieldfoundation.org/partnerships/ccf.html, or [email protected].