“We witness many grateful students and families every Friday when backpacks are distributed. But we also witness a heartbreak every Friday when there is simply not enough to go around.”
“Some of my students come to school hungry, and leave school hungry. There are families who are getting by mostly on Ramen noodles. There are families who don’t have enough milk for their babies.”
~ Sound bites from Lincoln Public Schools principals
A final thank you to everyone who helped make the fourth annual BackPack Extra Mile Walk a complete success. We are grateful for all the hard work and effort our Lincoln Public Schools employees contributed, resulting in a splendid brisk spring morning.
Best of all, right now we have raised more than $127,000 – and still counting – with more than 3,000 participants in the cause. That represents 635 backpacks: Families who will have food on the weekends and children who can come to school on Monday mornings ready to learn instead of being hungry. Additionally, the Food Bank of Lincoln collected 1,465 pounds of food.
We had 100 percent of our schools and buildings participate in raising money for the BackPack Program this year with more than 3,000 who contributed and participated. The highest participation for secondary schools went to Lux Middle School – and Lux also had the highest amount of donations at the secondary level with $5,675. Lincoln East and Lincoln Southeast high schools came in second. The highest participation for elementary schools went to Maxey Elementary School – also the school with the highest amount of donations for the district at a whopping $17,186. Kahoa and Humann elementary schools came in second.
However, we have accomplished more than just raising money. The goal of this walk is also to raise awareness about the growing needs of our community’s children. Please help us continue to spread the word. Keep talking about the BackPack Program and the hungry children in Lincoln.
This is a unique and powerful collaboration between the Food Bank of Lincoln and employees of Lincoln Public Schools, and we thank everyone who helped make this another successful venture.
We make a difference. It is who we are and why we dedicate our lives to helping the children in our community.
See you next year.
