Students, faculty, and staff from Ross Medical Education Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan have joined together to support Pack Your Back by collecting much needed school supplies for families in need due to the Flint water crisis. Pack Your Back is a nonprofit organization established in 2016 by students after organizers noticed the financial burden families have been facing after the collapse of the economy and more recently, the Flint Water Crisis that has created health concerns for children in Flint, Michigan. Pack Your Back is currently working to supply the children of Flint with the supplies needed to succeed in the classroom, according to the Pack Your Back website.
All too often, parents do not put school supplies at the top of their shopping list due to other expenses that are more of a priority, such as food and heating. Back Your Pack Vice President of Volunteers Anna Krinke, daughter of Susan Mall-Krinke, Campus Director said, “we are committed to providing students in need with backpacks and various types of school supplies. The only way a student can succeed in the classroom is if they have the proper supplies.”
Pack Your Back relies on the kind donations from the community and various stores in order to provide the school supplies to the children. This summer, the Ross Ann Arbor campus acted as a drop off site for over a month. The campus collected a large variety of notebooks, pencils, crayons, glue, and other back-to-school essentials. Financial Aid Student Support Representative Jenn Eger-Morris was excited to participate, “I think it is awesome that students take time out from their summer to help.” Since there are always more children in need, Pack Your Back has a goal this year to donate over 500 backpacks filled with school supplies.
After wrapping up the drive on August 19th, Pack Your Back then teamed up with nonprofit organizations and distributed all the school supplies that have been collected over the summer to students living in Flint, Michigan. This exciting annual event was free to the public and featured fun for the whole family. Some of the fun highlights included: live entertainment, open mic, arts and crafts, water, school supplies, and much more. For more information regarding this special event or this organization, please email info@packyourback.org.