What Hudson Area Backpack participants are saying

  • “This program helped my family so much, the process was simple and pick-up was very well organized. Thank you to everyone who was involved to make this program happen.”

  • “This has been our first year with the program, and we’ve been very impressed with the program thus far - from communication and coordination with our school, all the way to food pickup.”

  • “We also just moved in with another family on your distribution list. Moving forward, we can just pick up one set of items for our household if that is better for the program."

  • “The Backpack Program is very important to a lot of families. Now more than ever with the Covid19 pandemic. I have used this program many times. It is such a relief to know that every couple of weeks there was help with food coming in. So thankful and feeling blessed for all that I have received.”

  • "I have 2 adults and 4 children. I am really sorry that I keep messing up the pick up. I started a new job at Andersen Window working on 3rd and I am having a hard time regulating my sleep pattern. Is it too late to schedule delivery for Wednesday? This way I can make sure I'm doing things right, lol. Here are our ages 48, 45, 18, 16, 15 , 13."

  • “I wanted to let you know that we are moving out of Hudson so we won't be picking up food tomorrow or at any future distribution. We are very thankful for all of the great food we've received and really appreciate all of the volunteers’ hard work. You've been a huge blessing during our financial struggle."

  • “We couldn’t have made it without you, hope it can continue, many of us are still struggling big time.”

  • "We are no longer needing food help at this point. Thank you so much for helping our family!!!!!"

  • "I'm back to work now, so I won't be able to come back for a while. Thank you for all your hard work!"

  • "Thank you soooo much for ALL that you do! I am so grateful that you are doing this through Oct. I have a special needs child who is only allowed to go to school 1 hour a day and then, he has to do the rest from home. I am not able to work full time and this is a HUGE help!"

  • “The Seniors I serve are so appreciate of the food, with their age and COVID 19, they do not go out, so this program has been a life saver to them! I will say the volunteers are outstanding and very helpful. Thanks for all your help!!”

  • "We want to thank you for all the food. We live in a 36-apartment senior housing and have been able to share with many others here. Many of us are not able to go to the grocery store whenever we need something and this has truly been a blessings. Thanks again.“

  • “Since COVID-19 hit, my salary was significantly reduced and I struggled to feed my family especially now the children would be home all of the time. A community member suggested I look into the Hudson Backpack Program. I was familiar with the program because I was involved with a fundraiser through Hudson Leadership but never thought I would be on the 'other side.' I am beyond grateful for the Hudson Backpack Program and all of the wonderful volunteers who never made me feel embarrassed or ashamed of needing help during this difficult time.”

  • “Ages... Dad 47, Mom 45, son 24, son 12 and son 9. I hope that helps and is what you were looking for, if not let me know and I'll get back to you ASAP. Thank you so much. Also if it helps my sons are doing long distance learning at home this year one is in 6th grade and my 9yr old is in third and is autistic. Thank you again for all your help it is very much appreciated!"

  • "It is wonderful that this program was expanded to include the entire community. I was forced to retire due to COVID-19. As a result, I have to pay my own insurance which is $10 a month more than my retirement check. Being able to get food has been extremely helpful. I hope this program being open to the community will continue through the summer. It will be even more important when all of my kids are home from college."

  • "We will not be needing the food any longer. We are both back to work now. We really appreciated the help this summer."

  • "I've been giving extra stuff to a friend of mine who just lost his job - his wife died year before last... one adult and two kids (18 and 15)."

  • "We are raising our Granddaughter. I would also like to thank you for all of your hard work. We really appreciate all you do!!"

  • "The Backpack Program has adapted to meet the needs of the Hudson community during the Pandemic, and the volunteers that support this program are a delight to interact with. Many of the volunteers will greet us, wish us a good day, or wave and say hello (from a distance!) to our children in the backseat of our van. They show a positive connection to volunteer work, of which we know our children pick up on, even in their young age, and the smiles we are greeted with DO make a difference.

  • The flow of vehicle traffic is handled exceptionally well at the current location of St. Pat's church. Signage is clear and visible, and the flow of traffic is even, there are not significant amounts of wait time, and "stations" are well organized allowing for cars to be packed efficiently by volunteers.

  • Also, there was a Mental Health resource bag that accompanied a recent food haul this winter, and that was FANTASTIC! For families that might not have access to internet, providing them with bags of information makes resource sharing a more equitable experience for our community. The information was current, it was valuable, and it was clear. A consideration might be to have materials available in different languages, such as Spanish to make it more equitable. I appreciated that there was information from the school district as well - such as school social workers, counselors, psychologists, etc. The more this information is shared and visible, the better!

  • Another aspect of the program that is helpful is the information on "Best By" dates that are on some food items. Some folks may be put off by these dates, and discard the items, but it is helpful to have this information shared so folks are aware that the food is often, still good! Through the Backpack Program, we became connected to the Food Harvest program that occurs monthly in Afton. For a small fee (or free vouchers provided in the backpack) we get a significant amount of varied foods that include dairy, produce and frozen items. Often, we are able to share excess food with family or friends who may be in need.

  • We also appreciate the fact the Backpack Program contributes to a “zero food waste” mindset, and that is one we try and model within our home.

  • Thus far, engaging with the Backpack Distribution Program has been a positive experience for our family, and one that we look forward to as part of our routine.

  • I'm a school counseling graduate student, and this program is so exciting to have in our community! While I am not in the field yet, I do appreciate the resource sharing opportunities that this program offers, and I must say that the Backpack Program does it well! I would hope that when I enter the counseling field, that I will be able to collaborate with a program such as this.

  • Please let me know how my family or I can continue to support your work. I would be happy to contribute more qualitative information if you need it for funding or discussions with the community!”