BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich. -- Live music, food trucks, and craft vendors took to courthouse square in Berrien Springs for the Stuff a Bus event hosted by Backpacks for Berrien.  

Since 2015, Backpacks for Berrien has remained a strong presence in the area, supplying over 300 students with school supplies each year.  

Unfortunately, as the price of school supplies and food has gone up, so has the demand, which keeps people like fundraising chair for the nonprofit, Amanda Wilcox wanting to do more.  

“The need just keeps going up, unfortunately everybody is struggling, and a couple of years ago we were serving roughly 60 to 70 kids on the weekends with food, and now we’re over 130 kids every week,” Wilcox said.  

The nonprofit also provides lunches to over 130 students who may not have anything to eat on the weekends.   

For one mom in attendance, Abbey Rice, organizations like Backpacks for Berrien, she says, have taken a lot of the daily stress off the table. 

“We had no idea that this was even something that was offered with our school," Rice said. My daughter is a preschooler and knowing that we can open that bookbag on Thursday, and even if it was just a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it was wonderful.'   

With their goal of enabling local students to experience academic success all year around, families like Abbey Rice’s will be able to send their kids to school this year without breaking the bank.  

If you couldn’t make it to the event, Backpacks for Berrien is still taking donations at three different spots around Berrien.  

Pizza  Hut, 624 St. Joseph Avenue 

Berrien Springs Community Library, 215 West Union Street 

Salt Haven, 123 West Ferry Street