Have U-Haul, Will Travel

We’ve talked about how to fill a backpack for the super cool Backpack Project. Now, it’s time to talk about how to get those filled backpacks into the hands of children in Western Honduras. It’s easy peasy--unless your name happens to be Allen or Trish Sowers, in which case it’s substantially more difficult!

Preliminary Itinerary

Allen and Trish are already planning their U.S. visit for the fall and they thought you might want to start planning, too. They sent me a list of the states they can easily pass through in order to pick up completed backpacks. Here’s their preliminary itinerary (which is awfully fun to say!):

• Maryland
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Ohio
• Indiana
• Illinois
• Missouri
• Kansas
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Kentucky
• Tennessee
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• Florida
• Georgia
• South Carolina

Not Set in Stone

But, even that whopper of a list is not set in stone. Allen assures me that if someone on the other side of the map organizes a backpack drive of monumental proportions, he and Trish will hit the road in a U-Haul. And, if one U-Haul isn’t enough, he’s fully prepared to sacrifice his traveling buddy, Trish, rent another truck, and have her drive a load of backpacks, too! So, if you live in Washington state, and your church really wants to fill a bazillion and one backpacks with school supplies and toiletries, email Sowers4Pastors (trish at sowers4pastors.com) and Allen will make sure you have at least two bazillion empty backpacks ready for filling. (Yes, I said two bazillion because Allen thinks big and he believes in your ability to think big, too!)

You may have filled shoeboxes for some other organization in the past. Don’t think of this as competition because it isn’t! There are many excellent causes in the world and the Backpack Project is one of them. Maybe you’re looking for a different good cause this year. Maybe you’re looking for an additional good cause this year. Maybe you just really, really like to buy school supplies!

A Few Perks

Whatever your reasons for wanting to participate, you need to know it comes with a few perks:

• With the Backpack Project, you always know exactly where your filled backpacks are delivered.

  

  Sponsors from Florida, visiting their
  sponsor child in Jan 2017

  If you are able to travel to Honduras, whether with a team from your church or all by yourself, Allen, Trish, and Russell welcome you to go help with distribution. It doesn’t get more up close and personal than that.
• My own person spiel is that it’s reassuring to work with an organization with absolute financial transparency. I have never encountered more budget conscious, fiscally responsible people than the Sowers. They are amazing stewards of the resources God has provided and, you can feel good about your decision to support their efforts.
• An additional perk is that you might get a chance to see Trish driving a U-Haul across the country!

 - posted by Christi