GILLETTE, Wyo. — Through a district-wide “Jeans Week” fundraiser, Campbell County School District raised $3,116 for Blessings in a Backpack, Board Chair Anne Ochs announced at the Nov. 15 school board meeting.
Blessings in a Backpack local coordinator Zach Poitra made a presentation regarding the organization before Ochs made the announcement of the donation.
Blessings in a Backpack provides weekend meals to students in need. Meals include six to seven pieces of food, and they try to include breakfast and lunch items, including fruit, Poitra said. Poitra said that this school year, the number of students that Blessings in a Backpack increased from just over 1,000 last year to 1,260 this school year. The expense per bag increased from $2.50 last year to about $3, for a monthly cost of about $16,000, he said. The organization does a “food pantry” model for high school and junior high school students, where they can have some selection, he said.
“We don’t turn any kids away, as of right now, which is amazing. … And we want to keep it that way, as much as possible,” he said.
Vice-Chair Lisa Durgin said that years ago, in the first semester that she helped with the program, there were 86 backpacks to stuff.
“And we thought that was a really big number,” she said.
Businesses, banks and members of the community have donated to the organization as well, Poitra said.
Blessings in a Backpack is a national nonprofit organization.