Huntington Church Gathers Backpacks For Needy

Mary Samuels and Asenath Fuchs fill more than 100 backpacks with school supplies before they were distributed to local families in need. Photo Courtesy of Susan Oehrig

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Members of Old First Presbyterian Church in Huntington have been supplying stuffed backpacks for students in need for nearly a decade, and the need for their efforts has steadily increased, according to project leader Asenath Fuchs.

“The need has increased over the years and it’s a joy to be able to help those in need,” said Fuchs, who has been running the project for seven years. “Education is so important, especially for needy children, so I think it’s an important mission for us to do.”

This year, over 100 backpacks have been collected, since the process began in mid-July.

The project has been organized by members of the Old First, in cooperation with Family Service League.

Susan Oehrig, moderator of Old First Presbyterian Women, said the backpack program is a church wide project.

“All of the members of church and their families, and some friends of the church as well, contribute to putting backpacks together,” Oehrig said. “The church is very committed to being part of the community and this is one of the fall projects that help us do that.”

Fuchs said a list was handed out to volunteers to gather supplies for the backpacks, which benefits students in grade levels K-12.

Supplies vary depending on each grade level. Items collected include a box of pens, highlighters, glue sticks, crayons, folders, marble notebooks, erasers, 1-inch notebooks and more.

When the program originally began, Fuchs said it was initiated after learning that local families were struggling to offered back-to-school supplies for their children.

“I personally feel that God put his love in all of us so that we’re able to share it,” Fuchs said. “This is one of our ways of sharing it so it’s a joy to share God’s love for those who are in need.”

The backpacks were stuffed with the school supplies last week at Old First and then were distributed to families by the Family Service League on Tuesday.

The goal with the backpack program is to keep the momentum going, Oehrig said.

“We’re certainly going to keep the project rolling as long as the community at Old First is supportive of it,” she added. “The need in the community is growing and so we see that as a real opportunity for us to make a difference.”