Backpack brigade helps out 90 needy kids

Inspiration struck Sue Cheff over the airwaves.

She was listening to the radio when she heard about a church in Bakersfield, Calif., doing a backpack drive for children. The church collected backpacks filled with school supplies for children who might not be able to afford bags of their own.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that’s a pretty sweet idea,’” said Cheff, Flathead High School’s Business Professionals of America adviser. “My BPA crew is not huge ... but I knew I could count on them.”

Cheff wasn’t disappointed.

When she approached her up-and-coming business professionals about the idea of conducting a backpack drive for students in their own district, they were immediately enthusiastic.

“One gal said, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. My dad used to do stuff like this. I definitely want to help out,’” Cheff recalled.

After getting board approval to do the fundraiser, she called the Blue Cow Car Wash to see if the business would be interested in working with her students. It was, so on a Friday in July, the Blue Cow hosted a Backpack for Kids car wash day.

The weather wasn’t great, Cheff said, but there were still between 375 and 400 vehicles washed that day. Flathead’s business group received a portion of each sale; for every $8 car wash, the students received $3. For every $12 wash, the club made $5.

“It was just awesome,” Cheff said. “Our community completely stepped up. ... We had numerous people give just straight donations on top of buying a car wash. One van full of kids dropped off three kitchen bags of binders and supplies.”

The business professionals received more than $500 that day.

The club also received donations from several businesses. Costco donated backpacks. McDonald’s gave mechanical pencils.

Easthaven Baptist Church, which Cheff attends, gave more than $375 to the cause. Another church donated 25 backpacks full of supplies.

In the end, the group put together about 90 backpacks full of school supplies, Cheff said. Most of them went straight to Patty Fisher, Kalispell Public Schools enrollment clerk, who handed them out to families who needed them.

‘It’s quite emotional for the people. They literally have no money for supplies,” Fisher said.

“There is nothing more awkward as a child with no backpack and no supplies. I think this makes them feel more comfortable to at least have the supplies to start out with.”

Cheff’s group also was able to help with other expenses. One mother who picked up free backpacks for her children didn’t know how she was going to afford their tennis shoes for gym class.

“Our crew had the funds so we went to pick up each of them a pair of tennis shoes. We got four sets of shoes for four different kids,” she said.

It wasn’t the only time Cheff’s group helped supply appropriate footwear, Fisher said.

“Sue is the shoe fairy,” Fisher said with a laugh. “She’ll come up here and drop off brand new gym shoes.”

Cheff said she hopes to do another backpack drive next year. Fisher, who tried to start a free backpack program before, is glad the idea finally has caught on.

“I’m glad that Sue’s group took a step forward,” she said.

How to help

People who would like to donate backpacks or school supplies may bring them to the Kalispell enrollment office, 233 First Ave. E., above the county library, or call Fisher at 751-3430.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.