Create Community
Feed Kids
Raise Awareness
Feeding Hearts & Bellies
What began as a desire to help provide weekend food to 60 Houston children living in food insecurity has blossomed into an incredible ministry of hundreds of volunteers donating, packing and delivering weekend food to over 2,300 children in HISD and SBISD every Friday of the school year, making Bayou City Blessings one of the largest Blessings in a Backpack chapters in the nation.
Who we are
Community packing event at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church.
vision
The vision of Bayou City Blessings is to work collaboratively with partner schools to remove childhood hunger as a non-academic barrier to learning so that all children have the opportunity to experience academic success.
mission
Bayou City Blessings mobilizes our local community, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends and during school breaks for Houston children who might otherwise go hungry. Our mission serves to raise awareness of childhood hunger by building community and establishing relationships with our educational partners to improve the lives of Houston children.
Our Story
2011
Melissa Peter, Chapter Founder
and Program Director, participated in
a prayer tour through Third Ward with
the Holy Spirit Episcopal Church
Women’s Group.
2012
Holy Spirit agrees to host the ministry. $4000 was raised to launch the program for 60 children at Blackshear in September. Shear Blessings receives a $10,000 grant through Wal-Mart Foundation’s “12 Days of Giving.”
2013
Partnership with Texas Capital Bank begins through a $5000 annual grant. BCB hosted Color Me Fun event. Annual fundraising event with partner, the Sugarland Skeeters, begins with summer “Blessings in a Backpack” night at the park.
2014-2015
In June, the organization’s name was officially changed to Bayou City Blessings in a Backpack. BCB received $30,000 grant from Jr. League of Houston. Hosted our first annual Spring Luncheon.
2016
Hosted 2nd Annual Spring Luncheon Event. Houston mayor, Sylvester Turner, declares September 13, 2016 as “Blessings in a Backpack Day” in the city. Attended the 100 year celebration at Blackshear Elementary.
2017
Received a $30,000 Touchdown Houston Super Bowl LI Grant. BCB provided extra support after Hurricane Harvey. Started an annual fundraising partnership with Brewingz.
2018
Began relationship with Sysco and Houston Food Bank. The Lona Wong Volunteer Service Award was created and awarded to The HUB Houston. Holler Brewery’s “Spelling Bee” was created as an annual fundraiser.
2019
In 2019, BCB consolidated with Southwest Houston chapter led by Cheryl Tyler. Christ Church Cathedral’s Rally for Hunger event created and distributed 100,000 meals.
2020
To date, we have distributed almost 25,000 weekend food bags in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including over 75,000 additional food items.
Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
D R. M A R T I N L U T H E R K I N G J R.
Our Grant Partners
We are grateful for our relationship with current and past Grant Partners!
BCB Leadership
Katie Fields
Bayou City Blessings Program Coordinator
Drawing upon over 20 years of experience in the grant process through churches and developing leadership through non-profit, large event planning, Katie is passionate about the power of the church body coming together as one to empower and uplift marginalized individuals & families.
Married to Chris Fields for 26 years, they have two adult children: Wesley and Maddy.
Michelle Putnik
Bayou City Blessings Volunteer coordinator
A long time Bayou City Blessings and community volunteer, Michelle Putnik, cares deeply about engaging community to help feed children in Houston.
Married to Zach Putnik, they have 2 sons: Brady and Hudson.
BCB Advisory Board 2024-2025
Mike Fiuzat
Program Director
Father Mitch Tollett
Rector, Holy Spirit Episcopal Church and School
Marty Chapman
Logistics Director Spring Shadows Elementary
Cheryl Tyler
Logistics Director Grissom & Montgomery Elementary Schools
Clair Silliman
2021-2022 Program Coordinator
Suzy Spencer
Holy Spirit Episcopal School Liaison
Executive Board:
Mike Fiuzat, Melissa Peter, Kevin Peter, Jody Simpson, Kara McDuffie
Melissa Peter
Bayou City Blessings Chapter Founder
Melissa is a speech-language pathologist and worked for 15 years in the Spring Branch Independent School District, helping to develop a classroom-based intervention model. In 2012, after learning more about “food deserts” and the food insecurity that many of our Houston children face every day, Melissa continued her educational partnership with local schools and with Holy Spirit Episcopal Church and School, started Bayou City Blessings in a Backpack, a local program of the national charitable organization, Blessings in a Backpack. See her volunteer feature on the national BCB website from 2018 here and an accompanying press release here. Starting in 2012 with 60 children at Blackshear Elementary and 10 children at Spring Shadows Elementary, the program has grown to currently serve 2300 children across many schools, assembling and delivering weekend food packs to each child every Friday during the school year. Melissa and husband, Kevin, have been married over 30 years and have three adult children: Jacob, Caston and Grayson.
Cheryl Tyler
Advisory Board Spotlight
Cheryl Tyler is a hero whose experiences continue to inspire. In 1987, she experienced hunger herself and had only $5 to feed three children. This personal knowledge of what hunger looks and feels like is the driving force behind Cheryl’s passion for feeding children and serving her community. BCB was so fortunate to be connected with this amazing woman in 2012 before our chapter officially launched. Cheryl’s program in SW Houston merged with BCB in 2018 and together expanded programming at Foerster, Grissom, and Montgomery by 651 students with community support from The Children’s Fund, The Junior League of Houston, and Latin Women’s Initiative. Read more about Cheryl and our partnership.