OUR MISSION
Easing the Burden of Homelessness
Backpacks
Packing and hand-delivering backpacks filled with essential supplies
Connection
Making a personal connection with each client that we serve
Referral
Connecting our clients to other local homeless service providers
OUR VALUES
It is our experience that a ten-minute conversation can dispel a lifetime of assumptions about homelessness and the people who experience it. An open mind, heart, and ear is all it takes to understand how little separates someone who is homeless from someone who is not. We hope that through personal interaction, every member of our society will understand why we use words like brilliant, proud, hilarious, wise, and compassionate to describe our clients. Our clients are both those that we serve, but also those who consistently inspire us on a daily basis to continue growing towards a greater impact on our communities.
CONNECTION FOCUSED
We focus on connections, both with our clients and other service providers
COMMUNITY ORIENTED
Hands-on service creates positive impacts on local & statewide communities.
EVERYDAY PHILANTHROPY
TBP's team members view philanthropy as a lifestyle, rather than an activity.
OUR VISION
While we may not reach a day when The Backpack Project can fully retire, we hope to contribute to the collective effort that our friends at the Gateway Center characterize as making homelessness “rare and brief.” As a community, we must commit to prioritizing compassion and treating every individual with dignity and respect. Engaging fellow citizens in the issues elevates the chances that we may address them successfully. Our team does not fear difference of opinion about how to address homelessness; rather, we fear indifference of opinion. TBP envisions a future in which everyday citizens become the change they want to see in the world, starting in their local communities.