Backpacks from Beth is a ministry that was born from an innovative summer challenge from my church, Northeast Christian Church here in Louisville, KY called . I thought for some time about what I wanted to do and ultimately was inspired by a variety of people (including Butterfly Backpacks--please like and share their page as well!) and circumstances and landed on the idea o
f filling up some backpacks with basic necessities for men going through the recovery program at The Healing Place. With the help of MANY family and friends, my idea became a reality and we were able to donate 20 backpacks and several boxes of other much needed items like socks, underwear, undershirts, flip flops, general cleaning and laundry supplies, and water bottles. (My original goal was 15 backpacks! As of January, 2017, over 575 filled backpacks have been donated!)
Throughout the process, it became clear to me that I wanted to take this past just a one time donation and I wanted to challenge myself and others to take this a step further and create a ministry in memory of my mother, Beth. My mom was an amazing woman, who unfortunately lost her battle with cancer February 2, 2013, and taught me that it is NEVER too late for change. She inspired me in too many ways to even describe, but her never failing HOPE was something that I aspire to pass on to others. She was a compassionate, selfless woman who wanting nothing more than to share the love and grace of Jesus with others, so that is what this ministry is designed to do and for as many people as possible! So, what can you do? Well, first of all, pray! My mother was a faithful prayer warrior even until her very last days and she fully believed (as do I) in the power of prayer. Pray for these men who will receive these backpacks. Pray for their recovery from addiction. Pray for their families. Pray for this ministry! Secondly, help me fill up some backpacks! I want to deliver as many as possible each month as well as other general donation items that would not be included in the backpacks themselves; please see the wish list from The Healing Place:http://www.thehealingplace.org/Websites/thehealingplace/images/WISH_LIST_updated_June_2015.pdf
So, if your heart is calling you to help, please help me be able to continue filling up backpacks with toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, soap/body wash, wash cloths, chapstick, socks, shower shoes/flip flops, notebooks/pens/planners/highlighters, and even personal hand written encouraging notes (one is placed in each backpack)! Message me to make any arrangements needed to get items to me or tell me if you see any great deals (especially on backpacks/socks/flip flops). If you want to donate money to this effort, BfB is 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization and your gift is 100% tax deductible! Thank you in advance for your support! I cannot wait to see how many lives are touched by these simple acts of generosity. Please share and invite others to like this page so that we can make the maximum impact on our community!
