Local nonprofit helping food-insecure students in Metro Atlanta poised for more growth
Dunwoody, Georgia (August 10, 2023) – Launched in February of 2022, Backpack Buddies of
Metro Atlanta (BPBMA) served approximately 800 food-insecure children with much-needed
weekend meals across 27 area schools. When the school year wrapped, the program doubled
to serve roughly 1,600 children each weekend across 41 schools. This sizable increase is the
result of an efficient service model and tremendous community support. Now the organization is
growing even more with a new facility.
After outgrowing its original 2,000 square foot facility in the Williamsburg at Dunwoody shopping
center, the organization collaborated with Regency Centers to procure an additional 4,000
square feet of space in the same shopping center. With higher ceilings and double doors, the
new facility will more than triple the amount of food being stored. The original space will be
retained as the organization’s administrative headquarters.
On Sunday, August 13th, BPBMA will unveil its larger storage and distribution center in the
Williamsburg at Dunwoody Shopping Center, between Orangetheory and Dunwoody Animal
Medical Center. The new space will allow the organization to reach its weekly goal of serving
weekend meals to 5,000 children during the 2025-2026 school year. The Grand Opening event
will occur at the new location from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. at 2480 Jett Ferry Road, Suite 520, Dunwoody,
GA 30338.
“In my wildest dreams, I would never have imagined that our Board and Staff could have
accomplished so much in such a short period of time,” shared BPBMA Founder and Chair Ron
Robbins. “We thank our team in addition to, our incredible Community Buddies, participating
schools and volunteers for enabling BPBMA to feed hungry children on weekends!”
BPBMA began as a volunteer effort in 2017, building on a successful model used in other
communities. The organization became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in early 2022 and, with the initial
central distribution facility unveiled in August 2022, has experienced tremendous growth while
engaging new partners and providing much-needed food for students in more schools across
Atlanta.
Born from the work of Ron and Samra Robbins in 2017 at Congregation Beth Shalom, the
organization is making an impact on the local community. The Robbins partnered with other
religious and civic organizations to set up similar programs across Atlanta, engaging hundreds
of volunteers, before creating the umbrella organization that operates today.
“Our partnership with Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta has been a blessing for our
congregation,” said Pastor Steve Ring of Winters Chapel United Methodist Church. “We are a
small church with limited resources, but lots of love to give. We wanted to find an organization
that would allow us to be a part of something bigger. Backpack Buddies provides us a perfect
opportunity to share our love with the kids of our community.”
While smaller congregations like Winters Chapel UMC were able to easily get involved with
Backpack Buddies due to its low barrier to entry, legacy participants like Congregation Shearith
Israel were able to greatly increase its service due to the umbrella organization’s efficient model.
“Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta’s new food procurement operations, including the new
warehouse, have benefited our Backpack Buddies project a great deal,” said Congregation
Shearith Israel Program Champion Leah Epstein. “The more convenient location and
streamlined operations have translated into saved volunteer time and reduced costs that have
enabled us to serve more than triple the number of children we were serving last year. We have
also expanded from partnering with one school to three elementary schools this past year.”
The public is invited to attend the August 13th facility unveiling. To learn more about BPBMA or
sign-up to volunteer, visit https://www.backpackbuddiesatl.org/.
About Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta
Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta provides weekend meals to food-insecure children in metro
Atlanta to enhance their mental and physical health as well as their ability to learn. Backpack
Buddies of Metro Atlanta provides food at no cost to 29 community, civic, and religious
organizations, called Community Buddies, that deliver the food to 41 Metro Atlanta schools to
support food-insecure students. For more information, please visit www.backpackbuddiesatl.org.