To prepare for the Back-To-School season, Oakland Optometry is teaming up with Blessings in Backpack to collect items for children in need in the Rochester and Oakland County areas.
Working with many families with children going back to school, Oakland Optometry found this cause to be a great way to give back to students in need.Blessings in a Backpack is a program designed to help meet the nutritional needs of children and families over the weekends.The first food distribution to schoolchildren was established in 2005 as an outreach of USA Harvest at one schoolThe reason for implementing the Blessings in a Backpack program was because teachers were noticing that children at their schools, who were on free or reduced fee lunch programs, would return to school on Mondays tired, hungry and sluggish because there was little or no food for them to eat at home on the weekends.A backpack is sent home each Friday, with a qualifying student, filled with food and returned on Monday to be refilled for the following Friday.Each backpack contains several pounds of foods such as tuna, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, fruit juices, pastas, oatmeal, fruit bars, and crackers.Through September 8, the community is asked to drop off schools supplies or food items to Oakland Optometry to be donated to Blessings in a Backpack this fall.Due to the economy, there are many in need right here in the Rochester area.On August 17, residents can visit Oakland Optometry at The Village of Rochester Hills to drop off donations as they read stories to children during the Books, Buddies and Blanket series.For more information, contact Oakland Optometry.The office is located at 4970 N. Adams Road in Rochester Hills, MI 48306.Call 248- 373-6500.