31 Backpacks, Inc. is preparing for spring break by providing food and personal hygiene products to over 220 ‘at risk’ students living in the Copper Country. 31 Backpacks provides 5 – 13 gallon bags for each student to cover the nine days that they will be out of school.

The students in the program currently receive free breakfast and lunch at school during the weekdays. The founders of 31 Backpacks were told that these students often did not have food over the weekends. Each student receives food every Friday during the school year.

The mother-daughter team of Laurel & Melissa Maki, along with Amy Zawada, founded 31 Backpacks in the spring of 2012. Laurel called the superintendent of Calumet-Laurium & Keweenaw schools and asked if a program such as 31 Backpacks was needed and without hesitation, was told “Yes, most definitely!”

After meeting with the superintendent, principals and social workers at CLK, a plan was formulated. The school contacts would identify the students needing a ‘hand up’, forwarding the number of students from each school building every Monday to the founders. The volunteers receive a spreadsheet with the numbers with no students’ names attached. The first week of delivery was for 31 students and that is how the non-profit got it’s name. Anonymity is important to the program’s success.

31 Backpacks covers CLK, including Horizon’s Alternative School in Mohawk, Lake Linden-Hubbell, Tamarack City-Dollar Bay, Hancock, ISD, Portage Twp./Houghton, Adams Twp. Chassell, and Elm River Twp. schools.

Volunteers needed: Spring Break delivery is huge and requires a large number of volunteers to succeed. Volunteers are needed for the following events that take place at Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church – 601 Ingot, Hancock:

Friday, Mar. 13 starting at 1:45 p.m. – unload delivery trucks.

Monday, Mar. 16 at 10:15 a.m. – fill tables with food and personal hygiene products.

Tuesday, Mar. 17 at 5:45 p.m. – Packing close to 1,000 bags with food, which takes one hour.

Wednesday, Mar. 18 at 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. – load the buses.

Even though 31 Backpacks is a program for children, please do not bring children under the age of 12 to any of these events.

Any questions, email: 31backpacks@gmail.com