ALL 500 backpacks were given out in under two hours Saturday morning at Believer’s church to kids in Kindergarten through 8th grade.  This is the first time we did this project and everyone, myself included, was overwhelmed at the crowd.  We had some of the coolest kids in town bouncing, eating hot dogs and doughnuts, getting faces painted, seeing a fire truck, getting a kid’s i.d., and learning that God loves them!  Edie Grace’s age group, "Believing Kids", helped stuff the bags.  After they stuffed the bags, they prayed for the child that would receive it to have a great school year and put a personal note that they had stuffed the bag and prayed for them.  She thought that was pretty neat.

People were in line at 7:30am to receive the free backpacks.  What a reality check about how much people need a bit of a helping hand right now.  Earline, our minister to children at Believer’s, told us that many kids miss the first few days of school because school always starts here at the end of the month and many people are not able to afford the supplies they need to send their kids back to school. 

DeWayne told a wonderful client in Atlanta about what I was doing Saturday morning and in less than an hour she had her Sunday School class organizing  their own backpack outreach project.  If you have a group that would like to help some kids visit Somebody Cares Tampa Bay .  That is the source Earline used to buy the backpacks.

Our world has really changed quickly lately.  Kids need our help…not just in Africa…but in our own towns too!  Jesus said, . . . I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40, NIV).