Jennifer Garner revealed a few key details in Town & Country’s November 2022 Philanthropy issue about the “splashy” 50th birthday party she threw for herself. “I basically had a wedding for myself,” she joked. “I was so shocked that I was doing it.” The former Alias star didn’t share who was on the guest list other than her sisters and her parents, but it took place over Easter weekend, where she danced with her friends to “Rocky Top” by the Osborne Brothers.

Garner also “put everyone to work” by adding a philanthropic element to her birthday party by donating and packing food for Blessings in a Backpack. Her guests filled 5,000 backpacks timed to her 50th birthday — an incredibly selfless act to make the night about the needs of others. Fans will just have to imagine how the whole evening played out because there hasn’t been one photo leaked of the big night — and it took six months before the public even knew the 50th celebration even happened in the first place.

We first met in 2018, when she hosted a Valentine’s Day party for her kids’ classmates (kindergarten, 3rd grade, and 6th grade), and Blessings in a Backpack was the beneficiary! Garner, her kids, and their friends packed 391 bags of weekend food and decorated note cards to donate to a Blessings in a Backpack program in Los Angeles.

This party inspired Blessings in a Backpack to create “Love Is a Verb”  activities for classes across the country to put love into action — by getting involved and giving back!

Garner also read the children’s picture book Maddi’s Fridge, which raises awareness about poverty and hunger, and it’s available on our website. For a limited time, you can request a refrigerator-shaped piggy bank and stickers so your family can collect money to donate to Blessings in a Backpack. Your act of kindness will help prevent weekend hunger!