Collaboration is key to ensuring hundreds of meals are being delivered to local school children. And collaboration is exactly what’s in order for Knox College’s Blessings in a Backpack, the United Way of Knox County and the Galesburg Lions Club.
Due to COVID-19 school closures, Knox College’s Blessings in a Backpack program had extra food that was intended for supplemental weekend meals for Galesburg District #205 students. However, with those activities no longer taking place, Blessings donated $10,000 in food to the United Way of Knox County to support their efforts to feed hundreds of local school children.
The donation from Blessings in a Backpack is another strong example showcasing the collaborative work occurring in Knox County to support residents at this time. While the food from Blessings in a Backpack will benefit the children recipients, the United Way is also partnering with VNA Community Services by using their location to pack the meals and the Lions Club of Galesburg has been instrumental in providing volunteers to deliver the food. The Galesburg Lions Club was also instrumental in helping move the $10,000 in food from the Presbyterian Church where Blessings in a Backpack normally operates from to VNA Community Services for the United Ways use.
Laun Dunn, executive director of the United Way of Knox County said, “When schools closed due to the pandemic, Blessings was one of the first organizations to support our youth meal program by donating their entire supply of snack items. United Way made it a priority to honor their mission and used those items to create weekend bags for the children we serve. We are so pleased to receive this second generous donation from Blessings to further support our efforts, especially as this donation allows both of our organizations to continue fulfilling our missions.”
She further added, “We plan to continue providing meals for our local students as long as the need is there. We’re thankful to everyone who is making this possible. It truly is a community effort and this generous donation from Blessings in a Backpack is another great example of this.”
