(KAIR)--Special recognition is given to the efforts of a social worker for the Atchison Public Schools for helping preserve weekend food support for students through the Backpack Buddies program.
The Board of Education for USD 409, when meeting last week, honored Kara Soph for outstanding support and leadership after she learned the program faced a critical funding gap. Continuing Backpack Buddies at full capacity would have required nearly $16,000 or the program would have dropped from 80 students to just eight.
Credit: USD 409/Facebook
In response, the school board, in a social media statement, said Soph’s proactive leadership and a partnership with the Atchison Salvation Army helped launch a new Backpack Buddies program which is now supported by more than 50 community donors and volunteers.
Because of that dedication and community support, the statement says, Atchison Elementary School students will continue to receive weekend food assistance.
It was last year that the Salvation Army of Atchison County, under the leadership of coordinator Kim Bottoroff, launched an awareness campaign regarding the potential loss of the program due to funding cuts and rising costs, among other factors.
