The Berrien Community Foundation is gearing up for its Backpacks For Good giveaways this month with a new site added. BCF Programs Manager Susan Matheny tells WSJM News on Wednesday, August 25, volunteers will be at the Riverview campus of Whirlpool in Benton Harbor to give out 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies. It’s thanks to Whirlpool support.
“Whirlpool Corporation has been so generous,” Matheny said. “We knew there was a need in the Benton Harbor area, and we’ve known that for a little while here, and we’ve wanted to make sure we were helping that need be filled. After some conversations with Whirlpool, they generously stepped up and said, ‘Let’s fill the need.'”
Anyone from the 49022 zip code will qualify, and all you have to do is stop by between 3 and 6 p.m. They’ll ask what grade your student is in so they can give you an age appropriate package. Matheny says the events are quite a bit of work, and worth it.
“We order a lot of supplies and we have a decent amount of volunteers who help us open boxes and unpack and then repack into backpacks.”
Additionally, there will be Backpacks For Good giveaways held at Brandywine Elementary School August 10 from 5 to 7, Niles High School on August 12 from 5 to 7, and Coloma High School on August 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. That last one will be open to Coloma, Watervliet, and Hagar Township students. You can find out more right here.
