I made it from springer mtn, GA to Damascus, VA in 2010. I kept running into a kid named Greene lite who had a sponsor. He got hooked up with a children's Hospitol and got someone to pay so many cents per mile that was donated to the hospitol, but he had to do the thru-hike. I'm not really sure how you get hooked up with a sponsor unless you go through a church or boy scouts or something. The food drops are pretty important. You really need to plan it all out before you start, which means knowing where and when you're gonna be in a certain town or hostel that can get your food shipped to you (hostels are cheaper to get shit shipped and held over post offices). Since you're going to be burning 5-7,000 calories a day, a GOOD tip is to try and find food that is about 100 calories per oz. of food. Ramen (I know we're all tired of it), tuna and salmon packets, oatmeal and grits (light weight), nuts and seeds (shelled sunflower seeds are the lightest and really good for you), spam packets, etc... You don't really need a tent until you get into the whites in VA and north from there. Just carry a tarp or military poncho or something. If you get to the shelters early enough you can claim a spot before anyone else does. Water filter AND iodine tabs for water (filters break, but if you're out of both you can always boil, but a filter is lighter than fuel). Get a copy of the Thru-Hikers' Companion (book). It has maps and tells you where the next shelter/water-source/hwy/town (and what's in the town that could serve you, i.e. grocery, hostel, laundry mat, buffets, post office, etc.) this book will save your ass. If you can't find a sponsor just start fucking googling.
Hope this helps. And seriously, PACK AS LIGHT AS YOU CAN! You'll be surprised how much shit you ditch on the trail because after a few days ounces feels like pounds. Good luck with it! If you have any more questions, just message me; I'll help the best I can. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
