Our Mission
N.E.W. Backpack Buddies provides food to hungry children in our region and enriches their lives by giving them a greater opportunity for growth, learning, and development.
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Our goal is to provide healthy, balanced meals to children in our community who may go hungry over the weekend. Students we serve, who normally receive a free or reduced breakfast and lunch at school, no longer have to worry about where their weekend meals will come from allowing them to focus on their education.
Backpack Buddies was started in 2006, as a youth mission at Rolesville Baptist Church. Jeff Pethel was the youth minister and had seen a young child in a convenience store scraping money together to eat a meal. His mission grew quickly due to his compassion and dedication.
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In September 2011, North East Wake Backpack Buddies developed into a 501(c)3 non-profit organization separate from the church.