GOOD NEWS

                                                                   PINS BACKPACK DONATION

    Despite restrictions due to the pandemic, the PINS (Partners in Service) committee was able to acquire and stuff school supplies into 77 backpacks this August.  We received $550 in donations and from one couple - boxes of all kinds of school supplies and their volunteer help one Saturday.  We of PINS sincerely thank them for their generosity. 

    The backpacks were filled with appropriate school items for each grade from K-12, plus 1-2 masks and hand sanitizer.  Each pack  was tagged with the message “Filled with love from St. Luke’s Church, Chester”.  Mostly all of the shopping was done online and the committee members met on a few Saturdays for the stuffing party.  The amount spent was $571.52.

    In mid-August the backpacks were delivered to the Springfield office of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) where they would be distributed by the social workers to foster kids or children from families in crisis.

    This is an annual project of outreach from St. Luke’s Church which is very much appreciated by the DCF staff who work closely with these needy families.  Despite COVID19 this year, I am glad we were able to continue offering school backpacks to kids.  Without the support of generous donors from the congregation we could never get it done.  Thank you to all who come through every year and help make this a successful event.