Backpack Initiative

Did you know that 1 in 5 Pittsburgh students don’t know where their next meal will come from?

Since 2015, the Pittsburgh Montessori PTA's Backpack Initiative (BPI) has provided a supply of nutritious weekend meals and snacks for any Montessori student in need, free of charge. Parent volunteers coordinate with school staff to identify students who may benefit, and then discreetly place packages of donated food supplies in student backpacks each Friday for the weekend.

The BPI holds school fundraisers and seeks grant funding to purchase shelf-stable, easy-to-make meals and snacks, including ramen cups, mac and cheese, instant hot cereal, milk, fruit cups, breakfast and granola bars, fruit snacks, etc. 

If you believe your child could benefit from this program, we encourage you to contact your child's teacher or School Counselor, Ms. Lokay, rlokay1@pghschools.org. Participation is confidential and any student/family may enroll.

Please note that while we will do our best to accommodate allergies, we cannot guarantee allergy-free bags at this time. If you’d still like to sign up, please note the allergy and we will do our best to avoid packing those foods for your child.