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Project Backpack huge success at Clearwater Boys and Girls Club

Nov 10, 2017 | 10:21 AM

A new initiative that started for the first time this year at the Clearwater Boys and Girls Club has impacted many families in Rocky Mountain House and the surrounding area.

Project Backpack is a weekly program for families in the community who are in need of food. They can sign up online or through Facebook anonymously to be provided a backpack full of food that goes out every Friday to help with food security over the weekend.

“This gives families an opportunity to get healthy snacks, lunch foods, a meal for the weekend that the kids can easily take home and provide for their family for the weekend,” said Clearwater Boys and Girls Club Program Manager Robin Begin.

So far they have helped out 17 separate families, but since the program only runs during school time, Program Coordinator Shannon Mah says they want to try and help out 10 families who may be in need of a backpack for the holiday season.  

“What started for our Christmas backpack idea is that we had a family that didn’t have anything for Thanksgiving dinner, they take a backpack every week and we were like nuh uh this is not going to happen.”

Begin adds that they didn’t think they would have this big of a response to this program right away. 

“We initially applied for it because we knew there were two families at our program that were struggling and the initiative was available, so we didn’t apply for the full amount of the grant that we could have. They did gave us a large sum to use to supply these families and next year we will apply for the full amount to continue the program because there is such a need in the community.”

The club is currently looking for community sponsorship to contribute to their project backpack families for Christmas. The backpacks will go home to families on December 22. 

If you would like to be a sponsor you can contact Robin or Shannon at 403-845-5609.