by Mimi Edmunds
It’s that time of year again and West Bay Rotary’s Backpack Program is back for the 2024-25 school year, thanks again to Rotarian Barbara Heard.
Fourteen years ago In 2012, Heard had the idea of finding backpacks for students who needed one and she single-handedly started and has been the driving force of a program that has continues to provide brand new backpacks to needy students at the start of the new school year. In 2015, she approached L.L. Bean, who generously donated 50 new backpacks. They have continued to donate backpacks every year since then. (Thank you, LL Bean!)
Heard went on to approach Walmart in 2021 and they now donate gift cards for the purchase of school supplies. And thanks to General Manager Shawn Caron, the Rockland Staples, supports the program as well. West Bay Rotarians along with other community members and friends round out donations each year.
Each year, Heard contacts the schools in the Five Town school district as well as the Knox County Homeless Coalition, New Hope Midcoast, The Landing Place, and area food pantries to support kids in need. Depending on the age, their backpacks may include crayons, pencils, three-ring binders, paper, notebooks, folders, calculators, and more.
For the upcoming school year, L.L. Bean donated 100 backpacks to the program. This week Heard will be contacting Staples, Renys, and Walmart again for donations to the program. West Bay Rotary is hopeful that, with the support of more community members, this program will grow and meet more students’ needs in the future.
In the words of one donor: “This program provides more than just backpacks. It ensures that every kid gets to enter a new school year with confidence, and with the knowledge that there are supportive community members out there who care about their success.”
To support the Backpack Program, send a check to West Bay Rotary, P.O. Box 1033, Camden, ME 04843. (Please note on the check that the donation is for the Backpack Program.)
About West Bay Rotary
West Bay Rotary is celebrating its 39th year of “service above self” here in the Midcoast. The club undertakes dozens of community projects as well as fundraising (and “fun-raising”) events, including the Chili Challenge, Christmas Tree sales, Chowda Challenge, and more. The door for prospective members is always open. West Bay Rotarians come from all walks of life and offer a fun way to meet new people and get engaged in the community. The club meets on Thursday mornings from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Congregational Church meeting room in Camden and via Zoom. For more information, go to: www.WestBayRotaryOfMaine.org.
West Bay Rotarian Barbara Heard prepares backpacks for area children in anticipation of another school year.
Thanks for the generous support of L.L. Bean, area businesses, and community donors, the West Bay Rotary program is entering its 12th year (!) and growing.
