By Mandy Hinson
Union City, Tenn.–With the new school year starting back soon, support from the community is needed to help sustain the Obion County/Union City backpack program. The program, which supports both school systems, sends food and snacks home with children on Friday afternoons to ensure they have adequate nutrition for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the weekend.
The backpack program started after Obion County’s Director of Coordinated School Health, Chastity Homra took a student to a doctor’s appointment. “This little girl saw a pack of crackers in my purse and asked if she could have them. Of course I gave them to her, but told her to eat them quick before we got back to school. She told me that she wanted to take them home to share with her brother. She said that most weekends her mother would get them one pizza, and they had to make last all weekend. She said by Sunday they were sucking the grease out of the cardboard. This is happening in Obion County, and I knew I had to do something about it.”
The program, which relies on donations of food and money from members of the community, has been chosen as the designated beneficiary for Creative Chair Silent Auction fundraiser during the Obion County CornFest this year.
All the money raised will go to the backpack programs at Obion County and Union City schools. Individuals can create their own unique chairs and drop them off at the Obion County Public Library. The library will display all the submissions before the silent auction at the Family Day in the Park on Saturday, September 23rd.
Kristen Miles, School Health Coordinator for Union City School system said, “I am so excited that CornFest is supporting our backpack program! Our amazing program gives back directly to our community and it functions completely off of donations and volunteers! I love being part of a community that takes care of each other!”
For more information about donating a chair to the Creative Chair auction email Mandy Hinson at mandyhinson@hotmail.com or call her at 270.331.3021
You can also financially support the backpack program in Obion County by mailing checks to Obion County School Board 1700 North 5th Street Union City, TN 38261. If you would like to donate to the Union City School System please mail checks to Union City Board of Education 408 South Depot Street. Union City, TN 38261. Please be sure and indicate that the money is for the backpack program.
Menu
