#ThePlainfieldWay: Backpack distribution a great success

What an amazing day of backpack distribution! We began with 800 stuffed backpacks and at 6 pm, there were only 50 left. If you couldn't make it yesterday, there will be some available at the Public Library on Monday. Then on Tuesday evening, we'll be receiving our allotment from the United Way's Backpack Attack, and those will be given to the Home School Advisers or Counselors at all six Plainfield schools.

 
Once again, we need to give a gigantic THANK YOU to @Spreetail, an e-commerce business that is based in Nebraska but with a distribution facility here in Plainfield. Their generosity and sense of community made this possible. During an incredibly busy time of year, their Plainfield team put in extra hours to sort, stuff and pack the supplies into the backpacks, and then prepare them for us to take to the sites. What a wonderful example of serving your community! 

Let there be no question - the hugs, the shaking of our hands, the God Bless Yous and the 'you can't imagine what this means,' - the need is great and we made a huge difference for some of our most struggling families. From grandparents unexpectedly raising grandchildren, to single parents raising children while working multiple jobs to make ends meet, to families who simply can't get back on their feet, they all told us how much this gift means.

Thank you to Joy Philip and Andrea Flood, the heart and brains behind the summer feeding program, The Lunch Bunch. They made certain that we got backpacks in the hands of some of our families who weren't able to get to the distribution sites.

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Thank you to PCMS teacher and boys soccer coach, Jake Apollos. Jake helped us the entire day, and has now mastered the fine art of maneuvering pallets, huge boxes and working a portable pallet-lift. 

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And thank you to the PHS soccer players who helped, along with some young men from Jake's youth group. Their big hearts, their muscles (!), and their compassion for helping others on their last Friday of summer vacation did not go unnoticed.

Plainfield is a rich community. We are rich in compassion, in volunteers, in helping one another. But please realize, there are wonderful, loving families all around us who are not rich in financial resources. And often times, we would never know, because they work so hard to make certain that their children's needs are met first. 

Days like yesterday are important reminders that we should always be aware of, be open to, and be willing to lend a hand. Thankfully, in Plainfield, we seem to do a pretty good job of that. #ThePlainfieldWay