Gravette Church of Christ helps distribute backpacks

— More than 3,000 free backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies were distributed Saturday to Northwest Arkansas school children during the Samaritan Community Center’s 14th annual BackPacks for Kids Day.

SAMCC began distributing vouchers for the 3,000 backpacks the first week of July. By Aug. 1, vouchers for the number of backpacks available were all distributed and additional requests for children needing backpacks were put on a waiting list. At the time of Backpacks for Kids Day, 335 children were on a waiting list for backpacks.

“More than 14 years ago we saw there was a need for this,” says SAMCC Executive Director Debbie Rambo. “The families that come into our Markets (food pantries) and Cafés (lunchrooms) can barely afford to purchase food to feed their families, much less, purchase expensive and required school supplies.”

Walmart donated 3,816 total backpacks to the United Way of Northwest Arkansas; approximately 3,017 of those came to SAMCC. Backpacks were distributed in three locations: The Samaritan Community Center in Rogers distributed the most, giving away 1,031 backpacks; the Samaritan Center’s Springdale location handed out 1,023 backpacks, and 463backpacks were distributed at the Gravette Church of Christ. An additional 500 backpacks filled with supplies were sent via the Untied Way to the McDonald County School District, and 349 backpacks without supplies (at the school districts’ request) were sent to Siloam Springs and Huntsville schools.

Supplies for SAMCC’s backpacks came from a KLRC/Chick-Fil-A regionwide school supply drive, Walmart vendor donations, school supply drives held by local churches and businesses, individual donors, and from the United Way of NWA’s Stuff the Bus program.

“Without a doubt, this is the largest number of backpacks we have ever distributed,” says Shannon Green, SAMCC backpacks program coordinator. “We could not have done this without the generous donation of the backpacks from Walmart and the United Way of NWA.”

Children who are attending Northwest Arkansas schools, grades K-12 in 2012-3013, were eligible for the backpacks and supplies. While no proof of income or economic need is required to receive a backpack through SAMCC, the vouchers were distributed through locations that assist families in need - the SAMCC Markets in Springdale and Rogers, and Care and Share and Feed My Sheep in Gravette.

“We don’t ask for proof of income or economic needin passing out the vouchers,” says Rambo. “The core values of our organization dictate that we err ‘on the side of grace,’ so we are never concerned that a backpack, or supplies, might go to a child whose parents can afford to buy them.”

SAMCC’s BackPacks for Kids Day is not just a day to pick up a backpack. It’s an exciting back-to-school, community kick-off event. In addition to backpacks, kids at all locations received free haircuts or vouchers for free haircuts, a free lunch and drinks, and were treated to numerous fun activity booths hosted by local churches, Walmart vendors and local businesses. In addition, the Gravette location distributed free clothing.

SAMCC estimates that more than 500 churches, vendors, local businesses and individual community volunteers came together to make this event a success.

Of the 463 backpacks distributed in Gravette, 296 were earmarked for students in Gravette elementary schools; 92 for middle school students; and 75 for students in the high school.

Gravette hosts for the event included the Church of Christ; First Christian Church; Gravette United Methodist Church; United Way of NWA - Stuff the Bus Program; and Walmart’s transportation division. Gravette’s Church of Christ was also listed among donors of products.

Sports, Pages 10 on 08/15/2012