Backpacks and Big Hearts

August 26, 2025

Before many of us finished our first cup of coffee, a faithful crew from Holy Trinity Church was already in motion—packing food-filled backpacks with care, laughter and love. It was a summer Monday morning ritual fueled by kindness: these bags made their way to kiddos across our community, helping provide nourishing meals when school was out for the summer.

At first, they weren’t sure what to expect. One church member and longtime volunteer, Ron, remembers the uncertainty clearly. He joined the church four years ago on Christmas Eve, and the following spring, Father Clay approached him with an opportunity to help with the Food Bank’s BackPack Program. That conversation became the starting point of something quite a bit bigger than he imagined. For the last several years, volunteers from Holy Trinity Church have packed nearly all the backpacks for the Food Bank of Lincoln’s Summer BackPack Program in Lincoln.

This summer, that meant 193 bags each week—an impressive total of 1,544 bags for the summer season!

With years of experience, their Monday morning routine was second nature. No instructions needed. The group—once just comprised of about six people, now close to 20—moved through the process with an unspoken coordination that came from a shared purpose, camaraderie and experience.

“It’s kind of like a dairy farm,” Ron said with a smile. “Where the cows just know they have to be milked at a certain time—they walk in, they already know what station to go to and what to do.”

Each backpack was filled with nutritious, shelf-stable food meant to last until Monday. Each one was packed with intention.

“We just want to do our part to help make it easier on the weekends for the kids,” Ron said. “We are here to help those in need.”

And when all the packing and sorting is done, there’s a lasting sense of fulfillment—the kind that stays with you long after you leave. “It’s going to be beneficial for somebody down the road,” he said. “It’s pretty much an honor on our part.”

When asked what he would say if he could speak directly to the children or families receiving the backpacks?

He smiled and said gently, “Bon appétit.”

Thank you to this wonderful crew from Holy Trinity Church for your support of children and families facing hunger in Southeast Nebraska!