WARREN BACKPACK PROGRAM

Students at Phillippi Shores Elementary are teaming up with the Warren Backpack Program and MyGreenBuildings to make sure classmates have the tools needed to succeed.

Fifth-graders at Phillippi Shores kicked off the program Sept. 30 when they packed their first round of 50 backpacks with nonperishable food.

Those packs will then be distributed to 50 of the school's neediest students, a process that will continue each week for the next year.

"A lot of people look at Phillippi and some other schools that have a population with money and think we aren't in need," guidance counselor Amy Barnes said in a prepared statement. "But we do have a need," she continued.

"We definitely have kids who could use this program, kids who are hungry."

Founded two years ago, the Warren Backpack Program usually involves students packing food bags for kids at Title 1 schools, which are schools with a high percentage of students registered for free or reduced lunch. But Phillippi Shores decided to focus on its own needy students.

MyGreenBuildings owner Steve Ellis and his wife Catherine were moved to match the Warren program's $5,000 contribution after seeing a video produced by the Warrens during the Sarasota Film Festival about local childhood hunger.

The total contribution feeds 50 students on weekends for an entire year.

"My hope is that when people see how effective this program is, other local businesses and individuals will want to jump on board, participate, and help this program grow," Ellis in the same release.

Phillippi Shores is merging its Warren Backpack effort with its status as the county's only elementary-level International Baccalaureate school. The IB designation includes an overall increased focus on positive attitudes like caring, empathy, and enthusiasm, Barnes said.

The idea of having children address their peers' needs, rather than helping children at another school, helps reinforce the IB attitudes and principles, Barnes said.

"We didn't just want to give out food," she added.

"We wanted to make it even more meaningful to the kids, and to the school at large."

Since its founding, the Warren Backpack Program has helped hundreds of students throughout Sarasota County by providing them healthy, nonperishable food on weekends.

MyGreenBuildings is an award-winning, certified general contractor that specializes in building high-performance, artistically designed structures using sustainable materials and socially responsible practices.

Its contribution to the Warren Backpack program is part of its Community Support for Local Resources program, which involves donation of both time and funds toward local schools and nonprofits.

Ronald T. Smith
Managing Member

JOURNALISTPR LLC