Berrien Community Foundation (BCF) is helping students get ready to learn this fall by providing over 1,100 backpacks filled with school supplies to students who live in the 49022 ZIP Code.
BCF will host Backpacks For Good, a school readiness event from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 6 at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park in downtown Benton Harbor. The event is open to students who live in the 49022 ZIP Code, regardless of the school they attend. Backpacks For Good is being held in conjunction with the communitywide event, National Night Out.
“Backpacks For Good helps to alleviate financial burdens many families experience this time of year as their student heads back to school,” said Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey said. “We enjoy serving the community, bringing people together, and connecting them with local organizations and resources.”
Smaller backpacks are available for students in kindergarten through fifth grade and larger backpacks are available for sixth through twelfth grade students.
Whirlpool Corporation sponsored part of the event and rallied a large number of employees to help behind the scenes with packing backpacks.
"The Backpacks for Good project provides a meaningful volunteer opportunity for our employees and helps connect them to the community that has been home to Whirlpool for over 100 years" said Pam Klyn, executive vice president of Corporate Relations & Sustainability at Whirlpool Corporation. "Helping prepare young people for school in the fall helps improve life at home across our community which is at the heart of our company vision.”
In addition to the backpacks and school supplies, there will be farm-fresh vegetables and other food items available.
Families of students who live in the 49022 ZIP Code, regardless of what school they attend, are encouraged to bring their students so they can choose the color of backpack they want and visit with the other resources as well. No registration is required.
Backpacks For Good events
The August 6 event in Benton Harbor is one of four Berrien Community Foundation Backpacks For Good events this year:
- Students Attending Eau Claire Schools: Thursday, August 1, 2024 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Lybrook Elementary School. This event is open to students attending Eau Claire Public Schools, regardless of the ZIP code in which they live.
- Students Who Live In The 49022 ZIP Code: Tuesday, August 6, 2024 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park. This event is in partnership with National Night Out and is open to students who live in the 49022 ZIP code, regardless of the school they attend.
- Students Attending Brandywine or Niles Schools: Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Niles High School parking lot. This event is open to students attending Brandywine Community Schools or Niles Community Schools, regardless of the ZIP code in which they live.
- Students Attending Coloma, Watervliet or Hagar #6 Schools: Thursday, August 15, 2024 from 4 – 6 p.m. in the Coloma High School parking lot. This event is open to students attending Watervliet Public Schools, Coloma Community Schools or Riverside Hagar #6 School, regardless of the ZIP code in which they live.
For more information, visit www.berriencommunity.org/backpacksforgood.
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