Adam Parks Key to Locking In $25,000 From Sam’s Club for Blessings In A Backpack

The soon-to-come Sam’s Club superstore in Montgomery is bringing with it one very special thing:  relief for hungry local kids.

The addition to the retail landscape has been planned for over a year, but ground has now broken on construction, and is expected to be completed in July.  As a part of that final-phase plan, Sam’s hosted a luncheon at Montgomery’s Village Hall in early April, and listened to presentations by 10 local nonprofit organizations about each’s mission and role in the community.

Naperville businessman and Lead Ambassador to Blessings In a Backpack, Adam Parks, presented on behalf of Blessings and its food-distribution program at Long Beach Elementary School. Following the luncheon, Sam’s Club announced that they would be giving the $25,000 grant to Blessings In A Backpack for the continuing funding of the program at Long Beach, and for the expansion of the program within Montgomery and Oswego.

“When Village President Matt Brolley told me about the opportunity from Sam’s Club, I was so excited,” says Parks.  “This $25,000 grant will go a long way to help us to not only increase the amount of kids we feed at Long Beach Elementary but also expand the program to include additional schools. I couldn’t be happier.”

The $25,000 check will be presented to Adam Parks and representatives of Blessings In A Backpack at the Sam’s Club Montgomery ribbon cutting at the location on July 10.

100% of that grant will be used to purchase food, which will be given to needy students at the school who are registered on the Federal Free & Reduced Meals program, and who often only receive nourishment AT school -- no food to speak of is available at home when they’re away from school on weekends. Blessings In A Backpack identifies these students, and packs a backpack full of easy-to-prepare items, meant to last until Monday morning. “This $25,000 is enough to provide over 312 students with a backpack full of food every Friday throughout the entire school year,” explains Parks.

“We are thrilled that Sam’s is coming to our town and so thankful to them for their generosity.  This grant is such a huge win for the kids on the Blessings in a Backpack program in our school, and is going to make an immediate impact in the lives of these kids,” said Matt Brolley, Montgomery Village President.

For more information about Blessings, visit blessingsinabackpack.org.

For information about this grant, visit adamparksnaperville.com.