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Partners in Service

THE BACKPACK PROJECT

PINS is a vehicle for putting faith in action; the ability to make a difference in the lives of local children and youth.

 

The PINS committee (Partners in Service) has agreed that dollar for dollar it is much more cost effective to shop online for school items and buy in bulk.  Thanks to 2 years of the pandemic, we learned this lesson that it took less time shopping online and having items shipped than running from store to store trying to get all the items needed to fill all the backpacks.

 

Cathy Paul is the new Resource Coordinator at the Springfield office of the Department of Children and Families, Family Services Division, and has accepted our offer of backpacks filled with school supplies for grades K-12.  In past years we have had a collection bin in the church for parishioners to drop off donations of items, so committee members could fill the backpacks to be delivered to the Springfield office by mid-August.  This would give the social workers time to deliver them to their clients of foster kids or to kids of families in crisis before school started.

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Wal-Mart has 25 pages of bulk school items for online shopping.  Considering the price of gas, and the rising cost of just about everything and the mystery of some things just not being available, we are asking that members of the congregation give a monetary donation so we can do the shopping and get the best prices.  The goal is 20 backpacks for each group: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12.  Each backpack is filled with items appropriate for the grade level and tagged with “filled with love for you from St. Luke’s Church, Chester, Vermont”.   

 

PINS brings together faith communities with human service agencies.   We promote the resiliency and success of children and youth who have been the victims of abuse and neglect, ranging in age from infant to adult.  The PINS program offers faith communities the opportunity to assist children, youth and families involved with the state child protection and juvenile justice agency.  We partner family service staff with volunteers from faith communities to determine unmet needs of children and families involved with the system through donations of items and funding for specific needs.

 

Any donaton is appreciated.  On the check written out to St. Luke’s Church, please write PINS on the memo line.  Thanks so much in advance for your support.

Marcia Clinton

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Donate with a check to:  St. Luke's Church,  P.O. Box 8, Chester, VT 05143