 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
OUTREACH
OUTREACH
Adopt-a-Backpack 2026 is here!
Sunday, July 19th is the kick off for Good Shepherd’s 16th annual Adopt-a -Backpack drive to benefit young students in Newton County. This community outreach ministry provides new backpacks filled with essential school supplies to the school counselors at five Newton County elementary schools and to Repairers of the Breach.
75 backpacks have been purchased and will be on display for “adoption” in the Parish Hall on July 19th and July 26th, before and after the 10:30 service.
Each backpack will need to be filled with seven basic school supplies and returned to the Parish Hall by Sunday, August 2nd. We also collect donations of extra school supplies for the school counselors to distribute as needed throughout the school year. Detailed shopping lists will be provided at the display table and include the following.
The Essential Seven
10 #2 pencils
4 Glue Sticks
1 box of crayons (24count)
1 pair blunt-tip scissors
2 packs Wide-Rule Filler Paper
1 pencil box or zip pouch
4 two-pocket folders with prongs
Additional Supplies (optional)
Colored Markers
One-subject spiral notebooks
Composition books (wide-ruled)
1-inch three-ring binders
Colored Pencils
Rulers
Cash donations are also appreciated – we will be happy to do your shopping for you! To make online donations via Realm, please select the “Backpack” option under the “Fund” drop-down menu. Checks should be made payable to “Good Shepherd ECW” and may be dropped off at the display table on the next three Sundays, given to Carla Prater, or mailed to the Church Office.
Our history of giving back to the community is a cornerstone of our faith and part of our obligation to live out Jesus' commandment "to love your neighbor as yourself." Some of the projects that we have undertaken year after year include:
-
Hosting the community for Shrove Tuesday to help fund needy organizations
-
Adopting a section of the Cricket Frog Trail and keeping it litter-free
-
Collecting backpacks and school supplies for Newton County school children
-
Adopting families at Thanksgiving with food boxes
-
Adopting families at Christmas with angel tree gifts
-
Donating the profits from our small book and gift shop to Faithworks
-
Hosting recovery groups on our campus free of charge