The Christine’s Hope for Kids Foundation has completed Operation Backpack, its latest campaign in a string of events to celebrate its five-year anniversary, by providing 1.005 backpacks to children in need throughout Mercer County.
Operation Backpack was inspired by the reality that many children do not have the supplies or resources needed for the upcoming school year. The foundation’s goal was to fill hundreds of backpacks with pencils, paper, notebooks, and additional supplies to distribute to local kids.The backpack initiative is an annual undertaking for CHFK, but this year’s Operation Back Pack exceeded all expectations with a goal of 1,005 backpacks, almost double of last year. With the help of 20 volunteers, 60 volunteer hours completed, 148 delivery miles driven, 1,005 backpacks filled, and 1,005 happy kids.
In conjunction with New Jersey Women in Banking, The JM Group of Princeton and Noto Insurance Agency, this was the foundation’s largest backpack donation to date. With the support of the above sponsors andother donors and volunteersEach backpack contained basic supplies, and also rulers, calculators, binders, pencil cases, and a host of items. in order to make each child feel special in addition to feeling prepared.
At the close of this summer’s Operation Backpack, the 1,005 backpacks were shared with 10 different agencies for distribution to individual children: Children’s Home Society, HomeFront, WomanSpace, One Simple Wish, Mill Hill Child Development Center, Trenton Soup Kitchen, Princeton Human Services, Pennrose Social Services, Princeton YMCA Child Resources, and Resource Family Advisory Board-Child and Family Services.
Christine’s Hope for Kids was founded to continue the legacy of the late Christine Gianacaci, a 22-year-old Lynn University student from Hopewell. was n a January 2010 mission to Haiti when her life was tragically taken by a catastrophic earthquake. Her pursuit of spreading hope to children led her parents, Jean and John, to found the organization in her honor. The foundation looks to further Christine’s legacy and maintain momentum in the years to come.
CHFK continues to celebrate its five-year anniversary through charitable giving, and the next event will be The Sixth Annual CHFK Golf Event, a tournament to be held on Sept. 28 at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton. The Five for Five campaign is also still in effect; with a $100 donation, donors will receive five celebratory notecards, each of which represents a child in need.
For more information on upcoming events and other ways to support Christine’s Hope for Kids, visit the foundation’s website, www.christineshope.org.
