Brookings Backpack Project

The Brookings Backpack Project spent July 24-25 at Crazy Daze in downtown Brookings, informing the public about our work, answering questions, accepting donations and signing up volunteers. Those of us working the BBP table under its wind-blown canopy were gratified by the many gestures of support we received.

Among some memorable exchanges that we especially recall:

• A father of a Brookings third-grader telling how his son (let's call him Tim) came home from school saying that he'd shared his lunch that day with a classmate who had nothing at all to eat. Learning that this was a regular occurrence, Tim's father began packing extra food in his son's lunch so that Tim could share it with his classmate....
• How a few Brookings school teachers stopped by to ask how BBP would be distributing the food, never questioning the need for it....
• How a teacher from Sioux City, IA, and a resident of San Francisco, CA, both of whom were very impressed by the backpack food programs operating in their cities, walked up to give us encouragement and even slipped us some money....
• How Beverly Johnson of the Brookings Register volunteered to give BBP free advertizing....
• How an employee (name unknown) of Brookings Radio offered to make sure that the Brookings stations were running public service announcements about BBP....
• How several parents quietly revealed, through the questions they asked, how much they need food assistance for their children....
• How utterly amazed most people were to learn that 1 in 5 Brookings school children was at risk of hunger in 2008-2009.....

Obviously we at BBP have much work to do. We have many minds to reach, many hearts to touch, many funds to raise, many children to be served.

We'll use every penny and and promise and prayer we can get.