Changing the World One Backpack at a Time: The Story of Micah’s Backpack and Community Engagement

Jennie Hodge recalls stories her father told her of mayonnaise sandwiches and going hungry. Those stories and others led her to advocate for children’s food programs. In 2011, she became the director of Micah’s Backpack, a weekend food program for low-resource children. In 2012, Hodge started Micah’s Garden, a community garden co-op. She went on to create Micah’s Mobile Backpack, which broadened the scope of the food program. She lives with her family in Summerfield, North Carolina.

Nancy Franz spent thirty-three years as a faculty member with the Cooperative Extension System. She served as the director of professional development, associate dean for extension and outreach, and the director of extension and outreach at Iowa State University. She has worked with extension systems in Wisconsin, New York, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Iowa. She has published over one hundred articles, books, and other works. She lives with her husband in Ames, Iowa.