ERMA – As parents prepared their children for the start of school this past week, the staff at Richard M. Teitelman Middle School prepared to resume their “book bag project” of providing healthy snacks and non-perishable foods to students in need.
According to Colleen Sorenson, a special education teacher who organizes the program, every Friday a number of the middle school staff gathers to pack gym bags with items for the weekend.
“We started this about five or six years ago,” Sorenson said, crediting a teacher who is now retired with starting the program. “Now, we work with the guidance counselors and school nurse to help identify those in need, and we get help from so many people. It’s amazing.”
She noted that staff at the high school and middle school get involved with everything from donating items to donating cash and gift cards to donating time to pack the bags. “We get help from some of the restaurants, women’s groups, churches, banks, so many people sometimes we don’t even know where the donations come from because they just show up,” she said.
Last year, Sorenson said about 20 bags went home on a weekly basis, but the number would increase or decrease based on families’ needs. “Sometimes we’d get a call that the family got a job, so they didn’t need help,” she noted, “and other times, we would need to add to the list, especially around holidays.”
During holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, turkeys and hams are added to the packages.
“Last year’s eighth graders are at the high school this year, so I’m just in the process of getting the list together,” she said. Parents are notified as well about the program in case they need the assistance.
The backpacks are given discretely, and Sorenson said family privacy is a top priority. “Some of our students help pack the bags so they benefit from helping others,” she added. “Already, one student asked when we would be starting up again, so we are trying to get things going.”
Community members can participate in the effort by donating items, gift cards or making monetary donations and dropping them off at the middle school, 687 Rt. 9, for Sorenson. The following items can also be donated:
* Peanut butter
* Soup
* Crackers
* Granola bars
* Pop tarts
* Fruit snacks
* Cereal
* Tuna
* Fruit cups
* Ramen noodles
* Shampoo
* Soap
* Deodorant
* Toothpaste and toothbrushes
* School supplies
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.
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