AAA Central Penn and 12 Partner Organizations Fill Over 1,000 Backpacks with School Supplies for Local Children in Need
AAA Cares Annual Backpack Program provides 350 more bags than last year
Program expands to provide supplies to children in foster care
Whether it's on their first day of school or their first day with a new foster family, AAA Central Penn Cares wants to make sure that local children have what they need to be successful. That's why AAA, through its AAA Cares community volunteer program, has partnered with a dozen other Central Pennsylvania organizations for its second annual AAA Cares Backpack Program. The program is providing over 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to children in need to help them get a good start to the school year.
This year, the Backpack Program is expanding by providing 350 more bags than in 2022 and serving all seven counties that AAA serves in Central Pennsylvania including Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Huntington, Lancaster, Lebanon and Mifflin. In its first year, the program provided backpacks to children in Dauphin and Lancaster counties. The program also is expanding to provide backpacks with supplies to children in foster care.
"With the amazing support of our partners, our Backpack Program will have a greater impact and help even more children this year," said AAA Central Penn President and CEO Jodie Daubert. "Having basic school supplies is fundamental to student success. Beyond being necessary to engage in learning activities, they are key to feeling confident in the classroom and staying organized. They are a gateway to a promising year of learning and growing. Our entire AAA Central Penn team is committed to supporting needs in the communities we serve, and our AAA Cares Backpack Program is one of many ways we show it."
AAA Central Penn staff have been working for several weeks to fill the backpacks with supplies. Assembly lines are in six AAA offices for team members to come together and support the program.
The AAA Cares Backpack Program started in 2022 when Rob Finley, AAA's vice president of Automotive, was volunteering in Harrisburg and recognized a need for back-to-school supplies and a strong backpack.
"I saw a lot of kids carrying around cinch bags that were falling apart after just a few weeks," Finley said. "I wanted to get them better quality bags that would last them through the school year and beyond."
Thanks to the support of AAA Central Penn and its 12 partners, students are not only receiving backpacks this year, but also a three-ring binder, folders, journals, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, rulers, Post-it Notes, tablets and tissues. With caregivers expected to spend $661 per child in grades K-12 on back-to-school supplies, according to USA Today, every bit of support for children in need can help.
Cassie Allia, AAA's Lititz branch manager, is coordinating with Bethany Christian Services to provide a portion of backpacks this year to foster children throughout the region. In the month of June, AAA staff and members of the automobile club donated enough supplies to fill 30 backpacks with essential items like a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, socks, pajamas, a towel and a washcloth. Each foster care backpack also includes age-appropriate items such as diapers, diaper cream, pacifiers, stuffed animals and books.
Donegal Insurance is backpack sponsor for this year's Backpack program. Major school supply sponsors are LeTort Trust and PRworks. School supply sponsors are Central Penn Wealth Advisors, AAA Financial Services, Club Assist, URL Insurance Group, AAA Insurance, Joe May's Garage, Vitro Glass, Harrisburg International Airport, Amsterdam Printing and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts.
