Cargill Sponsors Backpacks For Students
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Michella Friesen is the Executive Director for the United Way of Mahaska County, and she’s been out promoting this year’s backpack program for area students.
This year’s program will be different from the past due to COVID-19, and won’t be held inside of Penn Central Mall. Instead, it will be at the baseball fields at the Lacey Complex on August 12th, 2020.
This year will be a drive-up event similar to how summer lunch has been handled.
If you are interested in receiving a backpack, each child must be registered separately and by July 31st to be eligible. Follow the link HERE to sign up each child for a backpack. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIw3NBWHH1t-pc2p9RmEEfDEIXntLxT3HBj_WmH-9TF1q2Aw/viewform
Backpacks will be distributed that day only, rain or shine. “So if you’re ill, or you have to work or something like that, send a friend,” added Friesen.
Last year, over 500 backpacks were handed out, and the target for this year is 600 backpacks. “We believe that there’s some gaps and some possibility that people have fallen through the cracks with COVID and not received extra funding that maybe they needed in their household,” Friesen explained.
The financial impact that COVID-19 has had is being seen at the United Way of Mahaska County. “We have seen a huge need at this point, says Friesen.
