Louisville Chapter of Blessings in a Backpack to Host Virtual Pack the Sack Gala on March 11th to Keep Children Hunger-Free

Blessings in a Backpack, a nation-wide organization founded in Louisville, Kentucky that is dedicated to keeping children hunger-free on weekends throughout the school year, is back in action after missing almost an entire year of fundraising due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The organization, which has partners in 46 states and the District of Columbia, is headquartered in Chicago, IL, and has a chapter in Louisville, Kentucky that benefits children within the local community by ensuring they do not go without meals on the weekends. Throughout the 2018/2019 school year, the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack helped almost 5,000 children across 48 local schools experience 185,402 hunger-free weekends. And now, they are excited to announce that, after missing their Pack the Sack fundraising opportunity in 2020, the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack is hosting a virtual Pack the Sack gala on March 11th to keep local children hunger-free.

For only $120, a sponsor can ensure that a child in Louisville, Kentucky has enough food for the weekends throughout a 38-week school year. In addition to year-round fundraising, the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack hosts an annual Pack the Sack gala to raise even more money to support local schools and children who go home to food-insecure households on the weekends throughout the school year. In the past, the Louisville chapter's Pack the Sack galas have been in-person events hosted at various locations throughout the city; however, in light of the coronavirus pandemic that prevented the 2020 Pack the Sack gala, this year's Pack the Sack gala will be a virtual event held on March 11th. 

Tickets for the 2021 Pack the Sack gala range from $75 to $150 and include a wide variety of perks provided by local sponsors within the Louisville community. This year, the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack is partnering with SuperChefs' own Food Network and Cooking Channel Celebrity Chef, Darnell "Super Chef" Ferguson, to offer ticket holders a live cooking demonstration from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Those interested will have two ticket tier options to choose from. For $75, purchasers will get a gourmet meal for one featuring a spring salad with pears, red onion, smoked blue cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing and an entree of truffle and chimichurri salmon with cheese smoked grits, charred spiced carrots, and fried potato straws. The $150 tickets for this event will include the same gourmet meal for two, as well as a dessert and a bottle of wine to share. The entire meal will be prepared personally by Darnell Ferguson. Single dinners can be picked up at SuperChefs on Bardstown Road and dinners for two can be picked up or delivered within a 15-mile radius of the SuperChef's location. 

Ticket holders will be able to enjoy their meal during a live cooking demonstration broadcast, hosted by Tony Vanetti from the Tony and Dwight show, and featuring Dawn Gee as a speaker. Darnell will be sure to entertain viewers with his culinary skills as he prepares the same world-class dinner ticket holders will be enjoying themselves. Tickets for the 2021 Virtual Pack the Sack gala can be purchased here. 

The 2021 Pack the Sack gala is expected to last an hour to an hour and a half and will be presented by Party Zone Productions, a local production company, who has generously donated their time and expertise to making this virtual event happen. Additional sponsors of the 2021 Pack the Sack gala include:

SuperChefs Louisville, a local restaurant built from the ground up by celebrity chef Darnell Furguson, serves urban eclectic American dishes with a twist. From phenomenal breakfasts including their Sub-Zero blueberry pancakes to their 1-inch thick burgers, everyone is guaranteed to find something they'll love at SuperChefs.


Christie Cookies, a Nashville-based gourmet bakery specializing in handcrafted, no preservative cookies and a variety of other baked goods. Christie Cookies offers cookies by the dozen, in tins for parties, and other baked items including brownies, coffee, and combinations of all three!


Old 502 Winery, Louisville's first and only urban winery where the grapes are outsourced but the wine is made in the heart of Downtown Louisville. Old 502 Winery offers wine aged in bourbon barrels and their own unique "chocolate grapes" that are found in their After Choc blend ensuring that the urban winery has a vino for everyone.


Derby City Gaming, where those who love to wager and win can find 1,000 of the latest and greatest games featuring fun bonuses and big jackpots
. Conveniently located in Louisville, Kentucky, Derby City Gaming offers machines with denominations as small as a penny or upwards of a dollar, guaranteeing that there is a game for everyone to enjoy!

US Food, one of America's leading foodservice distributors. US Foods partners with around 300,000 restaurants and foodservice operators across the United States and employs nearly 28,000 workers at more than 70 locations making them one of the most innovative food providers in the country. 


Honeywick, a Louisville-based website development and marketing firm located in the heart of downtown. Honeywick offers a wide variety of web and marketing services to help organizations succeed including website design and development, website hosting, search engine optimization, organic and paid digital advertising, social media management, graphic design, email marketing, and more. 


In addition to the virtual Pack the Sack gala on March 11th, a silent auction will start the week before the gala. From March 4th through March 12th, anyone is welcome to support Blessings in a Backpack by bidding on silent auction items. Items available at the silent auction include a wide variety of artwork in various forms and mediums, a Yeti cooler, two Traeger grills, as well as multiple getaway trips. Any items won at this year's silent auction will need to be picked up from "The Pointe" located at 1205 E. Washington Street in Butchertown no later than March 26th, 2021. 

While the 2021 Pack the Sack gala, supporting Blessings in a Backpack, may look different this year than it has in the past, the mission remains the same. All those involved - ticket holders, sponsors, presenters, organizers, and producers alike - are dedicated to the same goal of helping prevent children from going hungry over the weekends. Anyone interested in helping Blessings in a Backpack meet their 2021 fundraising goals is encouraged to purchase tickets to the 2021 Pack the Sack gala and mark their calendars for the silent auction running from March 4th through March 12th.

For more information, including additional ways to donate and support the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, visit https://Louisville.BlessingsInABackpack.org/ today. 

About Blessings in a Backpack
Founded in 2005, Blessings in a Backpack has made leaps and strides over the last 16 years to provide children the means to take food home with them for the weekends so they do not go hungry. By mobilizing community members, schools, individual sponsors, and various local resources, the 1,092 Blessings in a Backpack program locations across the United States are able to ensure almost 89,000 children remain food secure when out of school for 38 weekends throughout the school years. Blessings in a Backpack is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that relies on the support of sponsors, National and Local partners, members, and one-time donations to continue their mission. Learn more about the Louisville chapter of Blessings in a Backpack by visiting their website, https://Louisville.BlessingsInABackpack.org/, and find a local Blessings in a Backpack program to support.