Because you became a Warrior for Kids this year, we crossed the finished line together in a valiant fashion—surpassing our #GivingTuesday goal of $100,000, raising more than $184,000—the single biggest fundraising day in Blessings in a Backpack’s history!

A very special thank you to YOU for helping us remove one of the many hurdles facing kids right now: hunger. And a big thank you to the Spartan Kids Foundation, who matched $50,000 of online donations made to Blessings in a Backpack on Giving Tuesday!

This year has been a difficult one for kids facing food insecurity. Because of COVID-19, a projected 18 million children don’t know where their next meal will come from. Because of the support that we received this Giving Tuesday, we are better positioned to feed hungry kids across America.

On Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, we put all the Warrior names and their nominators in a Vera Bradley backpack and randomly picked the winners on Instagram Live. Doris Heran Taylor, the nutrition services manager at Engelhard Elementary School, is the winning #WarriorforKids and will receive a $1,000 Amazon gift card, made possible by the Spartan Kids Foundation. Helen Hall will receive a Vera Bradley prize package for nominating Doris.

Helen shared with us: “Doris is the energizer bunny in human form. She never misses a day of work and is a strong team leader and a team player… the glass is always ‘half-full’ in her world, which drives her positive attitude. Doris has not let the pandemic stop her for one second to feed the children who depend on nutritious meals from her kitchen. Doris knows the students and families who come see her and always has a warm smile.”

Do you know a Warrior for Kids? We’d love to hear their story, and they might be featured on Blessings in a Backpack’s social media this holiday season! Click here to nominate someone you know who is going above and beyond to remove barriers, like hunger, for kids.