FORT MYERS, Fla. (Nov. 11, 2019) – Blessings in a Backpack partnered with McLeod’s Construction, Paint & Restoration to pack more than 500 meals for local school children that otherwise may go hungry. The two organizations gathered on Thursday, Nov. 7 at McLeod’s offices to pack nutritious, kid-friendly meals for Franklin Park Elementary students to take home on the weekends, a time frame the federal free and reduced-price school lunch program doesn’t cover.
Along with McLeod’s Construction, Paint & Restoration; Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass and the Tommy Bohanon Foundation helped to make this event a huge success.
Blessings in a Backpack feeds more than 4,600 children in Lee and Collier counties. That number continues to grow with more donations. A tax-deductible donation of $100 provides a child with food on the weekends for an entire school year. The organization seeks volunteers and corporate partners as well. Visit blessingsinswfl.org to see how you can make a difference.
Captions for photos:
(1) Tommy Bohanon, Lourdes McLeod and Lombardo McLeod
(2) Cecil Pendergrass and Lombardo McLeod
(3) Kayla McLeod, Lourdes McLeod and Cecilia St. Arnold
(4) Lourdes McLeod, Cecilia St. Arnold and Lombardo McLeod
(5) Marilyn Santiago, Tommy Bohanon and Lourdes McLeod
Blessings in a Backpack helps prevent hunger
Blessings in a Backpack steps up where federal aid stops by feeding children on the weekend. Every Friday afternoon, children receive packages filled with nutritious, kid-friendly, ready-to-eat food items. Students return to school every Monday morning with a full stomach and an eager mind. In partnership with Lee and Collier county schools, Blessings in a Backpack has helped dramatically improve test scores, reading skills, behavior and general health.
Kids are our future; you can help secure theirs. A $100 donation will feed a child for one full school year. Donations of all sizes are welcome through the donations portal at blessingsinswfl.org or via mail at P.O. Box 61402 Fort Myers, FL 33906. All contributions are tax-deductible.