Elias Lutheran Church Expands Commitment to Childhood Hunger Prevention Through New YMCA Head Start Partnership with Blessings in a Backpack

Elias Lutheran Church is expanding its partnership with Blessings in a Backpack Frederick Chapter to provide weekend food bags for children enrolled in the newly established YMCA Head Start program in Emmitsburg.

For the past two years, Elias Lutheran Church has supported Blessings in a Backpack’s work at Emmitsburg Elementary School, helping provide hunger-free weekends for 70+ local students. This expanded investment will now help ensure younger children enrolled in the YMCA Head Start program also have access to child-friendly, easy-to-prepare food over the weekends.

The partnership reflects a growing understanding of the important connection between consistent food access and early childhood education. For many children, school and early learning environments provide not only education and stability, but also reliable access to meals during the week. Weekend food support helps bridge that gap when children are away from school-based meal programs.

“Elias Lutheran Church has a long history regarding what I like to call being the hands and feet of Jesus in the Emmitsburg community by showing God’s love in a practical way,” shared Pastor Joe Herb of Elias Lutheran Church. “We look forward to continuing this tradition with our ongoing support of the Blessings in a Backpack program, and also now with the Head Start program.”

The YMCA Head Start program serves young children and families by supporting school readiness, early learning, health, and family well-being. Through this partnership, children participating in the Emmitsburg program will receive Blessings in a Backpack food bags to take home each week.

“We are thrilled to be embraced by the Elias Lutheran Church community and that through this new sponsorship, our Head Start families can receive much-needed supplemental weekend food,” shared Nina Blackner of the

YMCA Head Start Program. “We all know that in order for children to grow and learn, their basic needs must be first met. Through this partnership, we can ensure that our students are ready to learn.”

Ashley Waters, Managing Director of Blessings in a Backpack Frederick Chapter, is thrilled to grow its partnership with Elias Church and the YMCA Head Start program. “When a community continues to deepen its commitment to children, it creates something incredibly powerful. Elias Lutheran Church has already made a meaningful impact through its support of students at Emmitsburg Elementary, and this expansion into the YMCA Head Start program shows a continued investment in ensuring children have access to the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and thrive from an early age,” said Ashley.

Blessings in a Backpack Frederick Chapter currently partners with 32 schools and education programs across Frederick County to help provide food for children who might otherwise go hungry on the weekends. The organization works to ensure children have access to nourishing food on the weekends so they can return to school ready to learn.

Blessings in a Backpack is a nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing communities, individuals, and resources to provide food over the weekend for school-aged children across America who might otherwise go hungry. By providing non-perishable, child-friendly food each Friday, Blessings in a Backpack helps bridge the gap for children who may rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. To learn more or support the Frederick Chapter, visit Blessings in a Backpack Frederick Chapter.

Blessings in a Backpack, the Elias Lutheran Church in Emmitsburg, and YMCA Head Start partnering to provide kids enrolled in the YMCA Head Start program in Emmitsburg weekend food support.