ABOUT US
Where We Began
Several years ago, members of the Rotary Club of Leesburg learned of the astounding number of children in Loudoun County that did not have enough food to eat at home. They wanted to help, and set about determining how they could best support this cause monetarily. However, they encountered a problem: a centralized organization to receive, organize and distribute funds did not exist. So in March of 2014, Dan Hampton took the leap and started Backpack Buddies Foundation of Loudoun, Inc. (BBFL). The foundation was created to provide individuals and corporate donors a central entity where donations could be given easily because it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Perhaps most importantly, donors have the confidence of knowing their contributions are used responsibly to fund programs to feed children in need right in their own community.
Initially, we began working with two Leesburg elementary schools supporting about 275 students. Today, we support approximately 85 elementary, middle and high schools and over 3,000 students. We began in 2014 with 2 members, a lot of community support, and a lofty goal to ensure no child in Loudoun County goes hungry over the weekend or during extended school breaks. Since then,BBFL has added additional Board members to the team, each bringing unique experience, perspective and talent to our cause. While we may hail from different backgrounds, regions and professions, we all maintain a tireless commitment to helping the food insecure children in our community.
Our Mission
The Backpack Buddies Foundation of Loudoun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, grant writing organization that provides financial support to individual programs throughout Loudoun County committed to providing weekend food for students in need. Through the generosity of individuals, local groups and corporate sponsorships, we obtain and distribute funding to our partners that purchases meals, snacks and milk for the children who would otherwise go hungry at home. We work with local partners to establish new programs where they have yet to begin, and raise awareness about this important issue that affects many neighbors right here in our community.
Every Friday, backpacks are filled with food for hungry students - powered by funds procured and distributed by BBLF.
OUR BOARD
DANIEL L. HAMPTON
A native of New Jersey, Dan began volunteering when he was a teenager, inspired by his parents and influential people around him. In college he volunteered over 100 hours/year, and chaired several programs including Safe Rides, which provided free sober rides to students at night to avoid drinking and driving. Since moving to Leesburg in 2005, Dan has continued his volunteer efforts as a youth soccer coach. In 2008, he joined the Rotary Club of Leesburg and has served in various positions on the Board including as President. Through Rotary, Dan became aware of the challenges many local students face with food insecurity, so he partnered with fellow Rotarians and other community advocates to create the concept for BBFL in 2013. His passion for solving the issue of food insecurity for children escalated even further with the birth of Dan’s children. Dan and his wife Karen, who is a teach for LCPS, have two sons and live in Leesburg.
LAUREN BOYLE
Lauren Boyle grew up in Herndon Virginia and graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and then earned a Master's degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. After seeing the impact that BBFL had on minimizing food insecurity for children in Loudoun County, Lauren began volunteering in 2017 and joined the board in 2019.
EVA M. SMITH
Eva grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, an urban city bordering Boston. She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Engineering and spent the next eight years working as a construction project engineer. In 2011, Eva and her husband, Michael moved to Leesburg, Virginia and had two children. She began volunteering at Evergreen Mill ES where her daughter attended, and became highly involved with the school’s Backpack Buddies Program, assisting with every aspect from food procurement to packing and distribution of bags, as well as to helping coordinate school food drives and fundraisers. She joined the Backpack Buddies Foundation of Loudoun, Inc. in early 2016 as a way to expand efforts and help a greater number of children.
KEITH KORIN
Originally from Connecticut, Keith has lived in West Virginia and has made Virginia his home for the last 21 years. After moving to Ashburn in 2004. Keith and his wife Cindy have been excited to call Ashburn home along with their 2 children Madeline and Thomas. Prior to joining the board in 2018, Keith has been active in several volunteer projects in Loudoun County. Keith has been an active member of the Ashburn Rotary since 2018 and a member of the Loudoun County Chamber since 2017. Keith has coached several youth sports teams including Dulles Little League, Loudoun Soccer and Farmwell Station basketball league. His real passion is giving back to the community and has worked with programs like Grace to Go, Habitat for Humanity and Mobile Hope just to name a few. Keith has been the Director of the Saint David’s Episcopal Church (Ashburn, VA) Backpack Buddies program since 2015. The program helps meet the weekly needs for students at Discovery Elementary and Cedar Lane Elementary and as of 2019 Broad Run High School. Keith has grown the program in the last 5 years from 35 students to 98 students during the last school year.
MATT BURNS
Bio to come