Nonprofit donates to Backpacks for Kids

Two programs that benefit youth in Fortuna and surrounding communities have received donations from the Eel River Valley Foundation.

Both the Backpacks for Kids program, coordinated by Food for People and the Soroptimist International Eel River Valley Shoebox program received $3,000 donations.

Eel River Valley Foundation spokesperson Laurie Garrison said, “We know the importance of giving back to the community and funding projects that meet the needs of the Eel River Valley.

Garrison said the organization's donation to the Backpacks for Kids program is earmarked for students in the Eel River Valley. The Backpacks for Kids program provides students in need with a backpack filled with nutritious food Fridays during the school year, for children who are considered at risk of hunger over the weekend.

For the Shoebox program, this is the second donation the Eel River Valley Foundation has given. “This program supplies shoes for kids who otherwise may not have them and that's important to the health of the community,” Garrison said.

Fortuna Resource Center Director Kay Chapman said the donation will make a difference in local students' lives. “It means a lot to kids who come to school, whose parents don't have enough money to buy a new pair of shoes.”

The staff at each school recommends which students get new shoes. At the same time, the selected students also receive a new pair of Bomba socks.

“Each time someone buys a new pair of Bomba socks, they donate a pair, so our kids get a warm pair of socks and brandnew shoes,” Chapman said.

The most recent student to benefit from the Shoebox program was a young girl who rode her bike to school. “We looked down and she was barefoot, and it was