Donate to Help Fund WeekEnd Hunger Backpacks Program

Stuffing Backpacks to Help Combat Hunger

In October 2020, our outreach volunteers will team up with AltAZ 93.3 at their studio to help school children in need by working with the Valley of the Sun United Way’s WeekEnd Hunger Backpacks program. This United Way program provides meals to help those Valley children get through the weekends, and come to school Monday ready to learn. 

Each meal is carefully packaged in a discreet plastic bag for a student to easily carry home in their backpack.

Program Goals & Requests for Help

According to statistics shared by the Valley of the Sun United Way, many children who live among the 82,000 Valley households suffer chronic hunger. This hunger makes it difficult for a child to focus on school work or lessons in class, which in turn can negatively impact the rest of the entire learning environment.

Now, thanks to the efforts of the WeekEnd Hunger Backpacks program, growing children are given the chance to focus on their education and succeeding (not their empty stomach or where their next meal will come from).

However, the program needs the support of volunteers, schools, businesses, and community organizations, such as Lerner and Rowe Gives Back, to continue to thrive and succeed.

We ask that others join us in helping combat hunger among our Valley’s children. You can make a donation online on the Valley of the Sun United Way website. Doing so will help provide much needed weekend meals for growing local youth to focus on their education, and succeed.


In 2019, Lerner & Rowe Gives Back generously donated $5,000 to the Valley of the Sun United Way’s WeekEnd Hunger Backpacks program. Take a look at a few images of our group after packing food for local kids and a video recap of the event: