The School District 69 Backpack Program will benefit from a $12,500 donation by the Parksville Rotary Club.
The backpack program helps ensure children and families do not go hungry during the weekends.
Every Thursday, backpacks full of healthy food staples are either sent home with a student or delivered to the home, according to the program’s founder and co-ordinator, Virginia Worcester.
The Rotary Club of Parksville has committed another $12,500 to the program by the end of June, for a total of $25,000 in 2022/2023. This brings the donations by Parksville Rotary to the backpack program to $50,000 over two years, the largest donation the club has ever given, according to a news release by the club.
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The presentation was made Dec. 3 at Speedy Glass in Parksville, which is where Rotary carries out its weekly fundraiser. School District representatives Gillian Wilson and Sheila Morrison were in attendance, along with Parksville Rotarians getting ready for another busy day of recycling.
The Rotary Bottle Drop takes place every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Speedy Glass in Parksville.
The club said it is appreciative to Tim Andres and Donna Andres of Speedy Glass for the use of the facilities on a weekly basis, and also to the community of Parksville for their generosity in donating their recycling toward worthy causes in the community.
— NEWS Staff