{"id":10017,"date":"2007-08-30T12:12:17","date_gmt":"2007-08-30T17:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=10017"},"modified":"2011-08-08T14:36:42","modified_gmt":"2011-08-08T19:36:42","slug":"5801","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/08\/30\/5801\/","title":{"rendered":"Churches Use Backpacks to Reach Needy Families"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>MT. VERNON, WA (August 30, 2007) \u2013 On Saturday, members of Bethany  Covenant Church helped distribute 850 backpacks filled with school  supplies to children who might not otherwise be able to afford them.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Children  also were able to have fun at carnival booths during the event, and  families received a variety of additional goods and services, says Vicki  Lund, associate pastor of children and senior ministries.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-10197\" title=\"Backpack\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/74\/2007\/08\/Backpack.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"299\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/74\/2007\/08\/Backpack.jpg 299w, http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/74\/2007\/08\/Backpack-296x300.jpg 296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" \/>Roughly  1,400 people attended, Lund says. Organizers distributed 500 bags of  new and used clothing, provided 80 haircuts, and gave away diapers,  hygiene kits and other parenting resources. They also served 1,300  plates of pancakes and sausage.<\/p>\n<p>The churches supplied English and Spanish bibles. Volunteers said they prayed for various needs with more than 600 people.<\/p>\n<p>This  was the sixth year for the activity, which is sponsored by several  churches and community organizations, says Lund. Because it is the  largest church in the community, Bethany has hosted the event the last  three years.<\/p>\n<p>The need is great, says Lund, explaining, \u201cOur  community is made up of many low-income families who work in  agricultural jobs.\u201d Sixty percent of the elementary age children need  free or reduced-cost lunches, she notes.<\/p>\n<p>Increasingly churches  are distributing backpacks as a way to help their neighbors. The events  often involve other family activities such as the carnival. Some  churches budget for the events, but Bethany does not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree  churches took offerings including ours,\u201d says Lund. \u201cWe set aside our  monthly benevolent offering for this event and raised $2,300 by telling  the congregation that it only took $10 dollars outfit one child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The  church purchased backpacks online for $5 each, and local chain stores  offered large discounts on supplies, Lund says. A local foundation  contributed more than $5,000. Altogether, more than $10,000 was raised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe  only promote and advertise in low-income apartments, migrant camps,  social service agencies, and businesses,\u201d says Lund. All who receive the  supplies are more than deserving, she adds. \u201cAnyone can come, but all  must register, and the lines are very long at first. I doubt anyone of  means would be willing to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lund says volunteers from the different churches and organizations already are looking forward to next year.<\/p>\n<p>Bethany  is committed to serving the community, Lund says. As part of its  ministry, the church operates a free after-school program that reaches  out to latchkey children. To learn more about the church and its  ministries, please visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bethanycovenant.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bethany Covenant<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-report-this\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire?moderation_action=report_form&#038;object_type=post&#038;object_id=10017&#038;width=250&#038;height=300\" class=\"thickbox\" title=\"Report This Post\">Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MT. VERNON, WA (August 30, 2007) \u2013 On Saturday, members of Bethany Covenant Church helped distribute 850 backpacks filled with school supplies to children who might not otherwise be able to afford them. Report This Post<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Churches Use Backpacks to Reach Needy Families - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/08\/30\/5801\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Churches Use Backpacks to Reach Needy Families - Covenant Newswire Archives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MT. 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