“Blessings in a Backpack” will formally announce its partnership with The Dale Jr. Foundation on a visit to Jackson Park Elementary School in Kannapolis on Wednesday, May 25 at 11 a.m.
The Dale Jr. Foundation Vice President Kelley Earnhardt, member of the board of directors Cathy Earnhardt-Watkins and Martha Earnhardt will be on hand to help volunteers pack backpacks and meet with the children benefiting from the “Blessings in a Backpack” program at Jackson Park Elementary School.
“Since starting The Dale Jr. Foundation it has been our goal to raise money to directly impact our communities, schools and fellow citizens,” noted Dale Earnhardt Jr. “We are grateful to partner with ‘Blessings in a Backpack’ to help feed children in need. I am excited that my family will have the opportunity to directly interact with the kids at Jackson Park Elementary and experience the impact the program has on students and communities.”
“With the help of contributors in communities across the country, ‘Blessings in a Backpack’ is designed to help ensure that each child is provided with enough food for the weekend so they can return to school on Monday with the fuel they need to grow physically and academically,” noted Stan Curtis, founder of ‘Blessings in a Backpack.”
“We are excited with the opportunity to partner with The Dale Jr. Foundation and visit the students of Jackson Park Elementary School and are thrilled that Kelley, Cathy and Martha will be on hand to encourage the students and let them know that they support their hard work and cares about them and their progress.”
Currently feeding more than 37,600 children in 216 schools across 32 U.S. states and three countries, “Blessings in a Backpack” was born in 2005, the brainchild of Stan Curtis. Starting with just two schools, the program has seen steady growth and thanks to supporters and contributions this past year alone has seen growth of over 60 percent with new programs being adopted by community leaders every week.
According to the USDA more than 62 percent of children in the U.S. are on the public school Free/Reduced Price Meal program, “Blessing in a Backpack” picks up where the program leaves off, feeding children on the weekend when these meals aren’t available to them. It takes only $80 to feed a child in the program for an entire 38-week school year and with the help of donations, partnerships and local grocers, “Blessings in a Backpack” is able to provide a backpack full of food every Friday for students in the program.