ASB Students’ Drive for Backpacks Big Success

Briana (left) and Julia (right) Hopper, soon to be seventh grade students at Assumption St. Bridget School, organized a “Backpack Donation Drive” for the St. Vincent de Paul Georgetown Food Bank during the last several weeks of the 2014 -2015 school year.

Their organization efforts, placement of donation bins at ASB School and Assumption Church and presentations at Assumption Masses resulted in 100 used backpacks being donated by generous school parents and parishioners.

The backpacks will be given to homeless neighbors who visit the St. Vincent de Paul FACES (Food, Assistance, Compassion, and Emergency Services) program on Fridays. FACES provides up to 100 homeless individuals and families with food and hydration supplies, clothing and personal hygiene items for weekends.

According to Erik Maus, (holding backpack cart in photo) St. Vincent de Paul Georgetown Food Bank Manager, “the food bank had no supplies of backpacks for neighbors who really need them.” He said Julia and Brianna should be complimented to helping turn items that would probably be thrown away into reuse to help people and to keep items out of the landfill.

Special thanks go to Tracy Read, President of the St. Vincent de Paul Assumption Conference, Gerrilyn and Rick Hopper, parents of Julia and Brianna; Father Oliver Duggan, Pastor at Assumption Catholic Church; Christina Vierra McGill, ASB Principal; and Carol Durbin, Assumption Catholic Church Pastoral Assistant for Administration; for helping to make this special donation drive a success.

St. Vincent de Paul thanks Julia and Briana and ASB and Assumption Catholic Church for this kind of compassionate effort.