I first heard about BackPack Beginnings while serving on the Board for the Junior League of Greensboro. Parker White, the founder of the organization, presented her proposal to the Junior League to receive volunteers and funding as a community program.
While listening to Parker educate us about the widespread food needs of children in our community, I was dumbfounded by the effects hunger can have on children’s ability to learn and the distraction it must cause to many school classrooms. Having a daughter who has recently started kindergarten herself, I could not imagine children sitting side by side with her going hungry over the weekends and not having access to the most basic of needs. It truly touched me as an issue that could be changed with directed efforts to deliver food, raise money and collect donations for BackPack Beginnings.
I began volunteering by delivering meals to Wiley Elementary last year. I enjoyed visiting the school and meeting kids in the hallways and cafeteria while I was there. Children are just so open and in need of a connection with adults who care. I continued to deliver meals and decided the organization was something I’d like to become more involved with. When Parker was looking for people interested in taking on more responsibility, I offered to help in soliciting donations for the program.
I am now collecting donations from local consignment sales, stores and individuals to stock the clothing pantry BackPack Beginnings has recently made available to students in Guilford County. I’m also helping organize drives and donations of gloves and hats that will be sent home with children receiving food backpacks for the winter months.
I’m still keeping up my delivery of backpacks as well but this year it’s to Jones Elementary where my daughter is a student in the Spanish Immersion Magnet Program. I hope that, with this extra food, the kids in her class will be able to come to school on Monday morning without hunger pains, ready to learn and enjoy just being kids.
Written on 7/15/2013 by Blogger Kara Cox
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