GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Thousands of students in need will have a backpack of supplies ahead of the school year thanks to a Grand Rapids nonprofit.
Storehouse of Community Resources is a nonprofit that collects supplies and distributes them to schools and other nonprofits throughout Michigan, particularly in Kent County. Each month, Storehouse provides about 350 nonprofits and 120 schools with supplies they need.
On Thursday, Storehouse held their "Big Backpack Build" event, where volunteers worked to fill 10,000 backpacks with school supplies.
Storehouse CEO Jessica Johns said filling thousands of backpacks with supplies is a team effort—and the community came together to help.
"We have over 100 volunteers here today to pack these supplies, and our goal is to pack them in two hours and then to distribute them in two hours this afternoon," she said. "So it's taken an enormous amount of work. We have an amazing staff. We have an amazing board who really supported this as our inaugural event. We plan to do this and only grow it year after year."
The backpacks will be distributed to about 40 low-income schools as well as to Bethany Christian Services and the Refugee Education Center.
Johns said they plan to expand what products they offer to best benefit children in need.
"We get so many requests, even throughout the school year, for things like children's underwear, children's socks. So our plan is to grow it, start with the backpacks and then build the networks and the relationships with the different schools and the social services in those schools, so we can understand the full needs," Johns said. "So backpacks and getting them equipped at the beginning of the school year is only one part of this package."
Storehouse is working to raise $250,000 to support the backpack giveaway. Currently, about $101,000 has been raised.