August 21, 2019
Carrying hope in a backpack
Around Town Celebrate St. Peters marks 10th anniversary September 20 - 21. Pg. 3
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Business Amazon’s St. Peters Fulfillment Center officially open. Pg. 7
Features
Photoby Kristen Dragotto St. Charles County Police Officer Shawn Birdsong stands with backpacks provided by Project Backpack, a program that puts items children might need in a moment of crisis in a backpack that is distributed by first responders.
Recipe, Movie & Sudoku. Pg. F-1
Project Backpack puts items children might need in a moment of crisis in a backpack that is distributed by first responders across the region
CLASSIFIEDS AND HOME & GARDEN. Pg. F-2 /F-3
By Kristen Dragotto Often when people think of St. Charles County and North St. Louis County, two distinct areas come to mind rather than one large community. However, for the St. Charles County Police Department and local nonprofit Project Backpack, community is defined by coming together for the betterment of a region and the people who are in it, proving that community knows no county line. Project Backpack is located in Bridgeton. The organization puts items children might need in a moment of crisis (home displacement, abuse, illness, etc.) in a backpack and
then first responders, social workers and other people in community outreach, distribute the backpacks. Judy Pearlstone began the program after seeing the need for it in her own classroom at H.F. Epstein Hebrew Academy. So, in 1999 she began Project Backpack and has been making a difference for children in the community ever since. Choosing to put the items in a backpack was an innovative and practical choice on Pearlstone’s part. However, the genius idea seemed so simple to Pearlstone at the time. “Putting the items in a backpack was a given,” Pearlstone explained. “They were always around and it just made sense.”
Originally, the backpacks were packed with essentials that would last the child 24 hours. Today some of the backpacks are able last a child or teenager for a couple of weeks. Pearlstone puts a lot of effort into them, making sure that every item is age-appropriate, in line with current trends, and have something extra to make the child receiving it smile. The backpacks themselves are separated by gender and age range and are valued between $60 and $150. In 2015, Project Backpack branched out into St. Charles County, working with the SCCPD. For police officers like Shawn Birdsong, See “BACKPACK’ page 2
Serving St. Louis, St. Charles and Lincoln Counties | FREE Online at mycnews.com | Vol.21 No.34 | 636-379-1775
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