Published: July 31, 2009 06:42 am      

Help by the numbers

Feed the Children delivers filled backpacks, food, books for students

Olive Hill — Feed the Children delivered nourishment for children hungry for knowledge as well as food on Thursday.

The nonprofit organization delivered a truck with 1,920 backpacks, 1,920 bags of food and 120 cases of books to the Carter County Board of Education central warehouse.

Backpacks were filled with basic school supplies and hygiene items such as toothpaste. Food packs included 15 items of ready-to-eat food.

They will be given to children in the Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup and Rowan county schools, said Marsha McDavid of Carter County Community Assistance and Referral Services, or Carter County CAReS.

McDavid found out about the program through research for Carter County CAReS and asked Feed the Children to come to the area.

Though Feed the Children mainly deals with hunger issues, “We also think it’s just as important to feed minds,” said Erin Carlstrom, director of education programs for Feed the Children.

The supplies are designed for children who are homeless, she said.

Children often have to “couch-surf,” staying the night with different friends or relatives or live in shelters, vehicles or motels, Carlstrom said.

Rural homelessness is different from urban homelessness because it includes those living with multiple families in one home, McDavid said.

There are about 1.5 million homeless children in the United States, Carlstrom said.

McDavid said the program will help children avoid being looked down on for not having new things when school starts.

“I think this will help give the children confidence,” she said.

Carlstrom said the program helps children fit in and makes it easier for them to stay in school because they have necessary supplies. The backpacks are also helpful because children can sometimes fit all their possessions in the bag.

“It provides an incredible sense of self for the children,” she said.

This year 120,000 backpacks were distributed around the country, Carlstrom said. That’s enough to fill about 62 trucks.

A truck is sent to each state, and some states with larger populations of homeless children get multiple trucks, she said. The truck delivered to Carter County was the only one in Kentucky.

The program began four years ago when 47,000 backpacks were given away, Carlstrom said.

There was an equal number of backpacks designated for elementary and middle and high school students, Carlstrom said. An elementary school backpack includes crayons, while a calculator and deoderant are tucked into middle and high school backpacks.

Each filled backpack costs about $18, she said.

Backpacks will be distributed through school districts’ family resource centers, McDavid said.

Those interested in donating to the program may visit www.feedthechildren.org/education.

KATIE BRANDENBURG can be reached at kbrandenburg@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2657.