ONB kicks off Blessings in a Backpack program

Blessings can come in many ways and in many forms, and in this case, children can carry them in a backpack.

Old National recently partnered with the Blessings in a Backpack program to provide weekend meals to children in need. The program kicked off in Indianapolis on Feb. 20. Every Friday during the school year, 400 students at the Ernie Pyle Elementary School (where 100% of the students are on free or reduced lunches) will be sent home with non-perishable food items in a backpack.

Old National is the first to help introduce the program in Indiana. Other participating schools in this program have shown improved attendance on Mondays, less trips to the nurse’s office and higher test scores. The schools also average 98% return of backpacks each Monday by children wanting to ensure they will get food the next Friday.

ONB associates from the Ohio Street office including Alan O'Rear, Steve Spicer, Jason King and Jayne Farber helped kick off the program by volunteering to pickup the snacks and meals at Meijer and then delivered them to the school. Ernie Pyle 5th and 6th grade students then packed the food into 400 backpacks, and each child was sent home with their "Blessings in a Backpack."

Blessings in a Backpack is a 501C (3) non-profit organization. This unique program is designed to provide weekend nourishment to children grades K-5 in Title 1 schools who qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program. The program started within the Jefferson County Schools area in Louisville, Kentucky in 2005. Stan Curtis, the program founder, saw a need to help nourish the less fortunate children in our public school system, so that they could learn at the same rate as their classmates. By providing them with food over the weekend, it would increase the odds of educational success. Blessings in a Backpack started with three elementary schools in Kentucky and now serves over 50 schools across the nation.