Backpacks for Louisiana and Central Florida

Written by: Dana Kobosky on July 22, 2010

Terri Goulette, Saints fan and Northland online worshiper

We are rapidly approaching the time of year when Northland has its annual church-wide backpack drive. Every year the congregation comes together and donates thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies for local kids in need.

This year, in addition to contributing to our local partners, we will be working with one of our online worshipers in Louisiana: Terri Goulette. Terri lives in Houma, which has been affected tremendously by the recent oil spill. Seeing the need in her own community, she and a few others decided to provide new backpacks and school supplies to families who were affected by the BP disaster.

Terri and those working with her have set a goal to obtain 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies for the families directly affected by the oil spill. Those in need include shrimpers, oystermen, commercial fishermen, people who work in ice factories or seafood packing houses and even truck drivers who deliver seafood.

“They were expecting a plentiful season this year,” Terri explains. “But just two weeks before the fishing season opened, the oil spill happened, which has closed all of our fishing beds—and they have remained closed. It has been very hard riding down the bayous and seeing all the shrimp boats and oyster boats just lined up when they should be out harvesting seafood.”

However, the need for backpacks is not limited to Louisiana. In the Seminole County, Fla., school system alone, there are more than 1,200 homeless children. Realizing that we have a great need here in our own community, Northland will be donating the major portion of what we collect to our local partners, including:

• A Gift for Teaching, an organization that works within Seminole County Public Schools to provide kids and teachers with supplies throughout the entire year
• Christian HELP, which will give backpacks to families in need in Orange/Seminole county
• Harvest Time, which will give backpacks to low-income families in Orange/Seminole county

Backpacks are needed for elementary-, middle- and high-school students. As you prepare your backpacks, please consider the grade level of the student you wish to prepare a pack for. Supplies needed include:

• Age-appropriate backpacks
• Spiral notebooks
• Loose-leaf paper (wide and college-ruled)
• Folders
• Blue and black ink pens
• Crayons
• Markers
• Colored pencils
• Notebook paper
• Composition notebooks
• Rulers

You may choose to fill a backpack with supplies or just to donate supplies or backpacks. Please limit items to those listed above so we can be sure to fill all backpacks with the same items. Drop off your donations at the Welcome Center in Longwood on the weekend of July 31 through Aug. 2. Thank you!