Backpacks and VBS, Together Again!

It’s always fascinating to hear the creative ways people from around the country fill backpacks. Take The Branch Church in Ohio, for instance… They have found a fun way to turn filling backpacks into a friendly competition for the kids who attend their summer VBS program.

This was the third year The Branch got their VBS attendees involved. But it was the first year the competition extended to two separate campuses. The results were impressive! It was boys against girls to see how much money teams could raise.

The fifty attendees at the new campus in New Philadelphia brought in $500! The original campus in Baltic had one-hundred-fifty kids in attendance. They collected a whopping $2700. That’s right! The VBS kids donated a cool $3200 to purchase school supplies to fill backpacks. The first night the kids in Baltic collected $30. But on night #2, they collected $700!

The Branch puts an extra fun spin on the competition. At their main campus, the kids on the winning team had the added incentive of launching a pie at a volunteer for the losing team!

How did 200 kids bring in such a noteworthy amount of money? Some kids saved up all of their offering money for the year! Other kids broke into their piggy banks and filled the coffers with every nickel, dime, and quarter they could find. Some of the youngsters did extra chores and odd jobs in order to raise as much money as they could. Whatever method they chose, the combined collection will make a huge difference.

The Branch had a goal of filling 400 backpacks. On August 21st and 28th, they also set up a “backpack store.” People were able to go to the store to fill backpacks before, between, or after services. They had empty backpacks and supply lists available for people to take home and fill. It’s a great way for families to get involved.  

You may be asking, “Who won? The boys or the girls?” Well, when you get right down to it, the big winners are the hundreds of kids in Honduras who will receive the supplies needed to send them to school for another year!

- posted by Christi