For eleven years, we have handed out generously filled backpacks to the men and women who are our guests at lunch. The men and women we see daily are rarely remembered at Christmas. For many, these backpacks were their only presents. There were always lots of smiles on Backpack Day at the soup kitchen.
Sadly, due to the arrival of COVID in 2020, we had to change our Christmas Backpack Give-Away. Beginning in December of 2020 we have handed out red knapsacks to women, green to men, and polka-dotted and striped knapsacks to children, all filled with toiletries and hats, scarves, socks, and gloves, essential items for surviving a Champaign winter. The giveaway is a festive holiday surprise for our guests; about 600 knapsacks have been distributed every year.
We are still socially distancing and limiting seating at DBSK, serving around 400 hot meals a day either in the dining room or through our take-out window. With an upsurge of COVID, we plan to hand out knapsacks, rather than backpacks, once again to our guests. We will hand out the knapsacks from the front door just as we hand out many hot meals every day. We are once again asking for your help to fill the knapsacks.
Donations of toiletries such as deodorant, hand lotion for hands chapped by the cold, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, shaving cream, razors, chapstick, etc. are needed. We want to add cold weather items such as gloves, hats, and scarves. We would like to also include a small treat such as candy bars, chips, etc. Since the knapsacks are a Christmas gift, all items should be new.
We have purchased heavy duty knapsacks. If you are interested in filling knapsacks, we can give you a list of items and give you knapsacks to fill. If you are interested in donating items, we have volunteers who are very skilled at knapsack filling.
We hope to collect all that we need from Nov. 15 through Dec. 8. Items can be dropped off at Daily Bread, 116 N. First Street, Champaign, from 9 a.m. to 12 P.M. every day. Please use the back door on the alley when dropping off items. Donations can also be dropped off at Ellen Harms’ (705 S. Elm Blvd. 356-2551) at Pam Hagle’s (713 S. Elm Blvd. 359-3245) or at Ruthann Evans’ (4414 Crossgate Dr. 398-5687). Tax forms will be available. (Because we always panic that we aren’t going to have enough donations—and then they always show up at the last minute—the earlier the better!)
We are extremely grateful to everyone who participated in past Backpack Giveaways and last year’s Knapsack Giveaway. Thank you for bringing some of the joy and magic of the season to the guests at Daily Bread during still another very difficult year.
If you have any questions, please call or e-mail Ellen at 356-2551 or ellenharms@aol.com
.