From left: Ashley Nydish and Chad O’Brien

Nov. 6. Bags of Hope, a Cornelius-based nonprofit that provides weekend food bags to students, is partnering with Give Back A Back Pack in its mission to fight childhood hunger in the Lake Norman region.

Founded in 2017 through a collaboration of three local churches, Bags of Hope supplies weekend meals to more than 750 students at 34 schools across Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Iredell counties. Last school year, the organization provided 26,251 bags of food — totaling 221,739 meals — to nearly 1,000 students.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Chad and Give Back A Back Pack into the Bags of Hope family,” said Ashley Nydish, founder and executive director of Bags of Hope. “Chad’s heart for service and creative approach to giving back align perfectly with our mission to make sure no child goes hungry over the weekend.”

Give Back A Back Pack, founded by Cornelius resident Chad O’Brien, donates school supplies and helps organize class trips and other school programs. Since its founding, the organization has contributed more than $100,000 through donations from friends, family and corporate sponsors to support children in need.

Working together, the two nonprofits hope to expand their reach and feed even more food-insecure children.

“Bags of Hope is doing incredible work, and we wanted to be part of something that makes a real difference in a child’s day-to-day life,” O’Brien said.

To learn more, visit Bags of Hope and Give Back A Backpack.

It’s the month of giving and each Thursday during November we’ll spotlight local efforts to give back to our community.