"Backpacks for Good" gives free school supplies

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. - Berrien Community Foundation (BCF) is setting kids up for success by providing over 1,400 backpacks filled with school supplies for students living in the zip code 49022. 

"Backpacks for Good" will be held on Tuesday, August 1, from 5-8 p.m. at Dwight P. Mitchell City Center Park in Benton Harbor, no registration is required. 

“It is a community effort to help our students and to ease a financial burden on families," said Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey.

This Whirlpool Corporation sponsored event aims to get kids excited about school in the fall. 

Whirlpool thinks of "Backpacks for Good" as an investment in their educational future. 

In addition to school supplies, community resources will be available as well as food from local farmers and the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency.

This is the first of four "Backpacks for Good" events. 

Others include: 

• Students attending Eau Clair Schools. When: Thursday, August 3 from 4-6 p.m. at Lybrook Elementary School.
• Students attending Brandywine or Niles schools. When: Thursday, August 10 from 4-6 p.m. at Niles High School. 
• Students attending Coloma, Watervliet or Hagar #6 schools. When: Thursday, August 17 from 4-6 p.m. at Coloma High School.