Blessings in a Backpack Update!

Went to a great meeting last night with the people working with Blessings in a Backpack.  Last year they were able to serve 25 students, providing weekend meals for the entire school year.  In less than 9 months, they have increased their goal to serve 100 students!  This is where all of us step in. 

At the meeting last night, we were able to secure commitments from four people who will serve as coordinators at the school level in the Plymouth school district..  These people will pack the backpacks and work with the kids, making sure that the backpacks are returned each week so that they can be filled for the following weekend.  We are still in need of many volunteers, so contact Chris Garner or Ellen Stillson and let them know of your interest in serving this incredible organization locally.

To meet this aggressive goal, we need to continually tell people about this great program.  Once people see the great need this organization meets, people seem to want to help.  You can go directly to Blessingsinabackpack.org, or read my previous blog about the organization on this website.  The great thing, once again, about Blessings, is that ALL of the money raised goes to buying food for the kids.  The backpacks are supplied by the parent organization, so all of your money goes directly to feeding truly hungry kids.  This can mean the difference between a successful elementary school experience, and a very sad story later in life.  Let's go for the successful school experience, huh?

Some of us will be at the annual Plymouth Indiana Blueberry Festival this weekend, collecting donations and spreading the word.  Come by and see us at Jefferson Elementary on Saturday.  Put the word out and let's make that goal of 100 kids a reality by this weekend!

Blessings in a Backpack...Feeding The Future Of America

For most of us, life is pretty good.  Sometimes, especially living in this country, we forget just how good we have it.  I know I have been blessed by the fact that I have never really experienced hunger.  Sure, we all say things like, “Man, I’m starving!”  Most of us, thankfully, will never really have to know how that feels.  But for some of the families in our own communities, this is a reality.  Today I want to talk to you about a charity that my wife and I love and support, and that truly addresses this problem.  It is called, Blessings in a Backpack.

I will admit that I have only known about this organization for a short time, but they have been helping kids in local communities since 2006.  They are currently feeding over 55,000 children in 318 schools in 37 US states and three countries. This is what they do and how they do it.  Blessings in a Backpack provides a backpack for elementary school children whose families qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Price Meal Program.  Each Friday, the backpack is filled with enough food for two breakfasts, two lunches, and snacks for the weekend.  On Monday, the students bring the empty backpack to school and on Friday it will be filled for them again.

The thing that really appeals to me about this group is the way they are organized.  They are a 501C(3) non-profit organization, which means that when you make a donation it is also tax deductible.  When you donate money for a child though, the money goes directly to buying the food for the child, in the community that you choose.  The cost of the backpack is part of what the parent organization provides.  So, your donation is transferred to a debit card that the local organization uses to buy food for the kids in your community from the stores in your community.

This organization was brought to our community by two wonderful women, Ellen Stillson and Chris Garner.  They started last fall at one elementary school in Plymouth Indiana, striving to meet the needs of 25 children.  This year they expanded that to cover all four elementary schools and their goal is to feed 25 students at EACH school!  This all in the span of less than a year!  Great things are happening with this program in our community and I hope you will help spread the word.

If you want to donate and sponsor food for a child, you can send a check, made out to Blessings in a Backpack, to Chris Garner, 12954 6^th Road, Plymouth, Indiana  46563.  Please include your name and address if it is not on the check so that they can send you a tax receipt and a thank you.  Also, be sure to let them know which school you would like the money to go toward.  If you are out of this area and you would like to donate, go to Blessingsinabackpack.org, for more information.

Believe it or not, $80 will provide enough food for a child for an entire school year of weekends!  This year my wife and I could only afford to provide enough for one child.  Hopefully next year we can up our donation and begin to help more children, but we had to start somewhere.  I challenge you all to do the same.