CHARLESTOWN —
They knew some money was coming in to bolster their program to feed needy children, but they never thought it would be enough to sustain it for three years.
DaVita, a kidney dialysis company, donated $7,000 to Jonathan Jennings Elementary School for Blessings in a Backpack, a Louisville-based initiative that sends food home with students in need. Students are given a backpack filled with food on Fridays to take home over the weekend.
Adrienne Bach, principal, said she thought the donation would come in at a maximum of $1,200, but couldn’t believe how much DaVita gave.
“We just went through the roof, it was jaw-dropping,” Bach said. “When they told us it was going to be big, we didn’t see this coming.”
Blessings in a Backpack serves about 35 children at the school. Bach said though the money they received would fund the program for three years, she hopes they can get food to more children who could use the help.
“We’d like to get 15 to 20 new students in on it,” Bach said. “Even if we could just sustain what we have, that would be super.”
Linda Hill, a social worker with DaVita, started the grant-writing process for the school. She said her daughter-in-law told her about the program at Jonathan Jennings and she decided she wanted to help.
“I just hope this encourages other members of the business community to get on board and make a difference in the community,” Hill said. “I think that’s important, whether it be for children, seniors or other members of the community.”
Hill said when her team members started applying for the money, they thought they’d only be able to get $1,000.
Catherine Willis, a dietitian with DaVita, said making sure children have something to eat gives them a better chance of success in school.
“When they’re focusing on the fact that they’re hungry and they haven’t had anything to eat or some other stress, they’re not able to focus in school,” Willis said. “To ease that burden, we hope this helps to provide the nutrition they need to grow and maintain their health.”
Stan Curtis, founder of the program, said it costs about $80 a year per child through Blessings in a Backpack.
Hill said she’s glad to see that her company was able to do something charitable, especially locally.
“We’ve been able to have some input into that as a team — but the monies are going to our local communities,” Hill said.
Lifestyles
Related Photos
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Catherine Willis, a dietitian with DaVita, presents a check to Jonathan Jennings Elementary School for Blessings in a Backpack. The program gives backpacks of food to take home to needy children once a week. Staff photo by Jerod Clapp
Discussion
A big blessing: Hunger-fighting program at Jonathan Jennings gets $7,000
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