Letters and Comments for September 3, 2009

Letters and Comments for September 3, 2009

Serving lots of kids

To the Editor:

The Friday Backpack Program has had a very successful year and will be gearing up for a new year this fall. In the 2008-2009 school year we served 1,491 children; 1,725 packs delivered to the schools weighing a total of 8,759 pounds. We have been collecting food and money throughout the summer and we are ready to go. The people in Union County and beyond this area have been behind this program all the way and we truly appreciate that.

We are thankful for the $6,492.75 grant awarded by The Grande Ronde Hospital Community Benefit Committee. That will be instrumental in helping us start up with weekend supplemental food for a proposed 120 children in the fall. The estimated cost without donations of food is over $42,000 for a school year with that number of children. Thankfully we do receive a lot of food donations and we can operate for much less. Many businesses, clubs, sororities, individuals and churches have supported us with food, money and food drop-off sites. Even children have been involved with fundraisers of collecting and selling cans at the middle school and a penny drive at Greenwood School.

The Church of Christ has graciously donated an area to store food and a room to fill the food packs for delivery to the schools each week.

We are blessed to live in a giving community of people willing to help food insecure children receive supplemental food on the weekends.

If you are interested in becoming involved or want more information about the Friday Backpack Program please call 541-963-5114. If you would like to donate money to help us buy food send it to: Friday Backpack Program, 1308 Washington Ave., La Grande 97850.

Carlene Crampton

Friday Backpack Program,

Advisory Board president, La Grande

Generous community

To the Editor:

Recently the LHS Unlimited Dinner and Auction was held to raise money to fund athletics and activities at La Grande High School for this upcoming school year. The event was a great success, raising over $30,000. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated to this event. We couldn’t have asked for better donations. I would also like to thank anyone who purchased an item at the dinner. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Most of all I would like to thank Mrs. Dowdy and everyone else who participated in the organization of the banquet. They did a fabulous job making the event an enjoyable night.

I am a senior, a two-sport athlete and National Honors Society member at LHS. I can’t imagine what my last year in high school would have been like without volleyball, softball and NHS. Thank you all for providing myself and 400 other athletes and club members with the opportunity to participate in the activities that we love.

Cami Bell

LHS senior, La Grande