“Sonic!” 

For one kindergartner, there was never a question which backpack he was going to choose. 

From the moment he stepped through the door at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, he spotted the backpack featuring the hedgehog made famous by a video game and yelled out his name with joy. His excitement grew as he examined the backpack’s features close up. “Mom! There’s a lunch box. That’s so cool.”

His decision was one of hundreds made last week by parents and kids confronted with rows of brand new backpacks stocked with supplies. This year’s Back to School program provided backpacks and supplies to 629 students from 4K to college. The collective effort to help students have what they need to be ready to learn is fueled by financial support and donations from individuals, churches and businesses in our community.

Students and their parents walked in with curiosity and, in some cases, uncertainty about which backpack to choose. “Oh no, this is hard,” said more than one parent. They walked out with smiles and hope for the year ahead.

Some parents deployed a quick phone call or Facetime to determine what might be the best option. One posed the all-important question to her child over the phone: “Super Mario or Minecraft?”

The answer was Super Mario, and the mom who picked up that backpack along with three more for her other children marveled at the room full of choices. “We participated in the program the last two years and it has just been truly wonderful for our family,” she said. “It makes our kids so excited to start their school year.”