HANCEVILLE, Ala. – As students begin the 2026-27 school year, Hanceville Knapsacks for Kids is asking the community to help ensure local children have food when they leave school for the weekend.
The program packed 3,800 bags during a 30-week period last school year. That equals an average of approximately 127 bags each week.
Items in each bag averaged $12, giving last year’s distributions an estimated total value of $45,600.
“As the new school year begins, we at Hanceville Knapsacks for Kids would like to thank all of you for your continued support of the program,” the organization said.
Hanceville Knapsacks for Kids has added Cash App as a new way to contribute. Donations of any amount can be sent to $knapsacks4.
Donors may also sponsor a child for a specific period:
- $48 provides four weekly bags, covering approximately one month
- $180 covers one semester
- $360 provides one child’s knapsacks for the entire 30-week school year
A $12 donation covers the average cost of one bag.
Checks and other mailed donations may be sent to:
Hanceville Knapsacks for Kids
c/o Nancy Horton
P.O. Box 255
Hanceville, AL 35077
The program was established to address the weekend food gap faced by children who receive meals at school during the week but may not have dependable access to food at home on Saturdays and Sundays.
Previous Tribune coverage described each weekly package as containing two breakfasts, two lunches, two suppers and six snacks. Specific foods can vary according to availability and donations.
Volunteers have traditionally gathered on Thursdays at the Hanceville Civic Center to prepare the food. The City of Hanceville has provided the organization with space for its packing operation.
Once the bags are prepared, they are delivered to Hanceville schools. School counselors and staff privately distribute the food to participating students before they leave school for the weekend.
The program has also used inconspicuous backpacks and oversized food-storage bags to protect the privacy and dignity of participating children.
Hanceville was among several Cullman County school communities that established local Knapsacks for Kids programs around 2015. When The Tribune first profiled the Hanceville effort in 2016, it was distributing food to approximately 50 students each week at an average cost of $5 per child.
The program’s output last year, averaging approximately 127 bags per week at $12 each, demonstrates how both its reach and operating costs have grown.
Churches, civic organizations, businesses and individual residents have provided food, financial contributions and volunteer labor throughout the program’s history. Participating groups rotate packing responsibilities so the work does not fall on a small number of volunteers.
“We all pull together as one to feed the children of Hanceville Schools,” program volunteer Amy Gable told The Tribune in 2018. “We know a hungry child cannot learn.”
The organization thanked everyone who supported the program last year and said it looks forward to welcoming its volunteers back as weekly packing resumes.
Those interested in volunteering or learning more may contact Hanceville Knapsacks for Kids through the organization’s Facebook page.
Its mission remains simple: “Feed the need” while “helping end hunger one knapsack at a time.
