PITTSBURGH -- The North Hills Backpack Initiative has resumed in-school weekly deliveries for families in need. The program has also expanded and families with students in grades K-8 can now enroll. Click here to enroll in the Backpack Initiative.
High school students in grades 9-12 can obtain necessities including food, toiletries, school supplies and laundry care items from The Pantry and should visit the high school counseling office to gain access to The Pantry.
Beginning this week, all students enrolled in the Backpack Initiative will weekly receive bags containing shelf-stable food items. In Hybrid, students in Group A will receive their take home bags on Tuesday and students in Group B will receive their take home bags on Friday.
In addition, school-provided breakfast and lunch is free for all children age 18 and under on school days through the 2020-21 school year. Meals are available to students in school or via curbside pick up.
For curbside pick up, families must pre-order weekly indicating the days they wish to pick up. Pre-orders for the week are due by Sunday at midnight. Daily menus and the order form can be found online.
This past summer and during the first few weeks of the school year, the Backpack Initiative provided family food bags in conjunction with area grab-and-go curbside meal pick up programs.The program was temporarily suspended in lieu of alternate meal pick up programs and until in-person instruction resumed when NHSD transitioned to the Hybrid operating model.
How You Can Help
The North Hills Backpack Initiative and Pantry operate solely on donations. Over 200 district families rely on these programs each week.
Donations can be dropped off at any school during the building's normal school hours. Suggested donations include single-serving and individually packaged:
- Pudding Cups
- Single-serving Snack Crackers
- Fruit cups
- Single-serving Cereals and Oatmeal
- Granola and Cereal Bars
- Single-serving soups/pastas (NO CANS PLEASE!)
- Canned Pasta Meals
- Single-serving Macaroni & Cheese
Monetary Donations
Monetary donations also are accepted and can be sent to North Hills School District Administration offices:
North Hills School District
Attn: Backpack Initiative
135 6th Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15229
Please make checks payable to North Hills Foundation and include "Backpack Initiative" in the memo line.
With questions regarding the Backpack Initiative or the Pantry, contact Daria White in the high school counseling office.