Micah's Backpack

School is starting next week. Micah's bags won't be going home with students until the week of 9/18, but it's time to restock. The Micah's room got a total cleaning and is ready for food. There will be a display set up in the Welcome Center with extra bins for food donations. We need all of the usual items such as mac & cheese, individual peanut butter, snacks, 100%juice boxes etc.

What is needed most at this time, however, is cash donations. The budget from donations last year was smaller to begin with and didn't "grow" much. We are starting this year with less money than we have ever had available from donations. This cash allows us to purchase food from the Maryland Food Bank above the amounts the HARC funding provides. We also often need large amounts of food to supplement food donations. We like to add special treats at the holidays, but wasn't able to last year because there wasn't money available. To donate, write a check to Concordia with the memo line Micah's Backpack and put in the offering plate. Micah's isn't a line item in Concordia's budget and isn't a Mission of the Month. Food and cash donations are what funds the program.

The program reported a fully stocked closet thanks to a large volume of recent donations, with no current needs.

For Easter, students went home with their usual three-day food bag plus an Easter treat bag including a card from their friends at Concordia.

Results of the program survey, developed by the Steering Committee and distributed by WCPS to parents, children, and school staff, were posted in the welcome center.

The program sends its last weekend food bags as the school year ends, then pauses donation requests until late summer/September. Coordinators thanked included Brenda Horsch and Paul Zuelsdorf (storage and deliveries; Brenda also on the HARC Steering Committee). Final-bag dates: May 31, 2024 and the week of May 30, 2025.

A special April 20 packing prepared 32 bags for WCPS students in transitional housing (homeless), distributed by a WCPS staff member as part of a church rotation serving school personnel. WCPS reported 710 students qualify as homeless and 92 are in foster care; Concordia provides 32 food bags monthly. Eight volunteers packed PPW bags valued at $20-30 each, with HARC grants funding about half and donations the rest.

Each year the program sends students home with extra food to cover the school Christmas break. In 2023 it sent six days' worth of food for each of 25 students plus a bag of treats and a signed card. In 2024 it sent two 3-day bags plus a Christmas treat per student (50 bags total), packed by Kathy and Susan and delivered by Chris. In 2025 it sent two 3-day packs along with flyers for the church's Christmas events, distributed at Lincolnshire school.

Near the end of the 2022/23 school year the program reported supporting 25 children at Lincolnshire, with ongoing needs for oatmeal, mac and cheese cups, and snacks.