Thinking about love this week, and all the opportunities we have as a community to come together to spread some love around. The world can sometimes seem like a terrible place, full of hate, divisiveness, and fear. If you watched the Super Bowl telecast this past weekend you probably saw the ad sponsored by No Reason To Hate featuring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady – which itself generated a fair amount of hateful criticism. If you pay attention to the media, there’s plenty of hate to go around, and plenty of encouragement to pick a side.
We can reject that hate. There, we said it – you don’t have to hate those who disagree, those who are different, those who have something you don’t, those who believe something you don’t. We don’t have to create “otherness”, we don’t need a common enemy. You can embrace and promote love instead, and though love doesn’t get as many clicks and likes and comments, it’s better for us as a society overall.
Funny that this is a controversial position in this era.
But here at Backpack Brigade, we choose to embrace love, and we celebrate all those who come together to give love and support to the kids and families in our community who need it most. We celebrate our volunteers, hundreds of them, who come together every day of every week to pack weekend hunger bags and deliver them directly into the hands of hungry kids. We celebrate our donors, partners, and sponsors, who give generously because they recognize how important it is for the community in both the short- and long-term to ensure every child has equal access to nutritious food. And we celebrate our school partners, whose tireless (and often thankless) work keeps forgotten and neglected kids from slipping through the cracks. This is the community spirit we cultivate, this is the way we want to face the current climate: with a passion for the mission, with a belief that every kid should have the same opportunities to thrive, and with love for our neighbors, no matter who they are, no matter the circumstances they face.
This month there are several opportunities for you to spread some love in this community, too. Our Give From the Heart Fundraising campaign is currently in its second week, and we hope to raise $15,000 (the cost to feed 2,000 kids for one weekend). You can help us fill the heart by clicking the link below.
We also are honored to be hosting Whole Child Wellness: An Educational Luncheon featuring keynote speaker Dr. Benjamin Danielson on February 28, 2025. Dr. Danielson is a pediatrician, professor, and passionate advocate for equal treatment for all children, and his talk promises to be both entertaining and enlightening. If you are interested in children’s health, we encourage you to join us. Click below for more information and to purchase tickets.
And finally, we have several large events coming up later this year: the Run to End Weekend Hunger 5k, the Backpack Brigade Golf Tournament, and the annual Winter Gala. We are looking for sponsors for all these events so that more of the funds raised can go toward the purchase of food to feed the more than 5,100 kids we now serve. If you or your organization is interested in spreading some love to help homeless and food insecure children this year, contact Director of Development Katrina Cameron at katrina@backpackbrigade.org.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
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