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Grand Island, NE, a community with a large minority (32.4% according to 2016 U.S. Census estimate) and low-income population (17.2% poverty rate according to the most recent Census), has a significant number of homeless children in its school system. In the Grand Island Public Schools system, 61.5% of all families qualify for free or reduced lunches.
Each year Verna Haberman, the outreach coordinator for fills about 800 backpacks. Different organizations in Grand Island have responded with school supplies and hygiene products but each year she has to find a way to pay for the backpacks. The Sunrise Rotary Club in Grand Island seeks $1,000 in funds to provide the Back-to-School Backpack program for one school year. The funds will be used to buy back packs at a cost of $8.25 per back pack (shipping included). 800 backpacks x $8.25 = $660. The Grand Island Sunrise Rotary (5630) will use the additional $340 in funds to purchase hygiene products to put into the backpacks. The homeless families are defined as those living in motels, shelters or cars (places in which the living conditions are unstable).
As part of its commitment to the project, Grand Island Sunrise Rotary members will staff key retail stores during two days in early August (likely Aug. 4-5) to hand out flyers to Grand Island residents, urging them to purchase extra school supplies for the Back Pack program. While they are shopping for their own children.
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