08/27/2026
The Part Parents Don't See Behind Our Pack-a-Backpack ❤️🎒
For the past 4 years, we have seen the same pattern, and honestly, it makes us question whether we should continue our Pack-a-Backpack program.
Not because we don't want to help. We absolutely do.
But because sometimes it feels like the tremendous amount of work that goes into this program is not fully understood or appreciated.
When you see hundreds of filled backpacks ready to be given to our kids, you see the finished product.
But do you ever stop and think about what it takes to make all of that possible? Where does the money come from?
What you don't always see is everything that happens behind the scenes.
For months, there is fundraising, applying for grants, and worrying about whether we will have the money needed to make this program happen.
For weeks, there is planning, collecting, loading, unloading, unpacking, sorting, organizing, counting, and filling every single backpack.
We are not a big nonprofit with paid staff. We are moms with kids, jobs, homes, husbands, families, and responsibilities of our own. Yet we make the time because we believe in what we do.
Everything is done from the heart. ❤️
And maybe, if you joined us to volunteer every now and then, you'd get to see what goes on behind the scenes and understand just how much time, work and heart goes into what we do. Sometimes seeing it for yourself opens your eyes to what you don't see from the outside.
And that is why we ask for something very simple in return: consideration, patience and understanding.
If you know you cannot make your pickup time, please let us know. We completely understand that things happen and plans change. A simple message goes a long way.
What is inconsiderate is when someone reaches out 2 or 3 hours or days later after their scheduled pickup time and expects to be accommodated immediately, as if it is expected that we will drop everything.
We will always do our best, but please remember that we are volunteers. We don't have someone sitting at an office all day waiting for backpack pickups.
Unfortunately, you may have to wait until someone is available to meet you. We have jobs, families, homes, and responsibilities too.
And for those who don't pick up their backpack and don't even let us know...
SHAME ON YOU!
That backpack could have been given to another child who needed it.
Think about that!
Someone spent hours organizing and filling that backpack. Someone donated or helped provide those supplies. Someone volunteered their time to make sure a child had what they needed for school.
Please don't take that for granted.
We don't expect special treatment. We don't expect praise. This is not why we do what we do.
We simply ask for consideration and respect for the time and effort that so many volunteers put into making this happen.
Because behind every backpack is a volunteer who gave their time, their energy, and their heart. ❤️🎒
And we also want to say a BIG THANK YOU to the parents who do communicate, show up when they're supposed to, let us know when something comes up, and understand that we are volunteers doing the best we can. We see you, and we appreciate you. ❤️
We love giving back. We love seeing the smiles on the children's faces. We love knowing that, even in a small way, we are helping parents feel a sense of relief when back-to-school expenses can be overwhelming. That's why we've done this for 4 years.
But if we're going to continue, we need the community to understand that respect, communication, and consideration must go both ways.
We need our parents to become more engaged. Join us. Volunteer with us. Be part of what makes this program possible. After all, this program directly benefits your children as well as the community as a whole. When we come together, we can continue to do more for our children, our families, and our community.
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