Backpacks for Kids

    Christ calls us to serve those in need and to bring the children to Him. Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church attempts to do both during its annual Backpacks for Kids campaign.
     Each year, the church works with local Rotary clubs, several churches and other volunteers to fill more than 650 backpacks for children in the Washington County School District. Without the backpacks, school district officials have said that some children would lack the supplies needed to help them learn.
     Several stores in Southern Utah provided the backpacks and some of the supplies. The rest of the items were purchased via donations  from the public.
     The goal is to provide at least 15 backpacks to every school in the district that needed them.
     More than 65 volunteers showed up this year to fill the backpacks in about an hour.

The effort begins long before the day we fill the backpacks with a committee that secures the supplies and solicits donations to help purchase needed items.

The committee seeks out grants and works to educate the public on the need for the Backpacks for Kids program.

On the day the backpacks are filled, volunteers work in one of three areas: elementary, intermediate/middle and high schools. Each level has a different set of supplies needed for backpacks so organizers work to ensure the age-appropriate materials are loaded into the correct backpacks.

After the backpacks are filled, those same volunteers -- and some new ones -- sign up to deliver 15 or more backpacks to each of the schools in the district. At that point, counselors, administrators and teachers in each school decide which students receive backpacks.

The need doesn't end with the beginning of the school year. If you would like to make a donation, contact Kent Matheny at (435) 635-9270 or send donations to Backpacks for Kids Inc., c/o Greg Basso, 787 W. Windsor Drive, St. George, UT 84770.