HAMLET – Backpack Pals for Richmond County, a group that provides weekend meals to children in need throughout the community, received a $1,000.00 donation from local company Enviva.
A leading global energy company specializing in sustainable wood biomass with operations in Richmond County, Enviva’s generous donation will be used to purchase food for the program.
“We believe in the work Backpack Pals is doing, and as a company with roots in the community, we’re proud to support such a positive and impactful program that helps those children who are in the most need,” said Dustin Brandenburg, Communications and Public Affairs Manager at Enviva.
Enviva Holdings, LP, is the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets. A renewable and sustainable energy source, the pellets are primarily used to power plants that were previously fueled by coal, enabling them to reduce their lifetime carbon footprint by about 80%. Enviva exports their pellets primarily to the United Kingdom and Europe.
“While childhood hunger is a persistent problem, it is not intractable,” said Kim Lindsey, Public Relations Director for Backpack Pals. “At Backpack Pals, we provide nutritional weekend meals and snacks to children whose primary source of food is the school cafeteria. Since the program started in February 2007, I’ve seen the positive impact in getting the children the energy they need – in terms of student behavior, school attendance, and academic achievement. We greatly appreciate the support from Enviva to help us continue our work and enrich the lives of children in our community.”
In Richmond County, approximately 70 % of the children eating meals in school cafeterias are part of the free or reduced breakfast and lunch program.
Backpack Pals is a nationally recognized program which meets the needs of the children, identified by the school staff, who have little to eat over the weekend. Backpacks containing nutritious, individual sized servings of breakfast and lunch items are sent home with children on Fridays and returned on Mondays. The backpacks are free of identifying logos to protect the dignity of the children who receive them.
Backpack Pals currently provides 540 food-filled backpacks to students from 12 local schools. If you would like to be involved with Backpack Pals, please contact Kim Lindsey at Kim@BackpackPalsRC.com or (910)582-0051.
To learn more about Enviva Holdings, LP, visit their website at www.envivabiomass.com , follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/enviva) or Twitter (@EnvivaBiomass).
