Backpack Fund prepares for third annual school supply drop on Aug. 13

Jul. 24—The Backpack Fund, a nonprofit that aims to provide school supplies for Lake County kids in need, is raising funds ahead of its third annual supply drop on Aug. 13.

The nonprofit expects to serve around 500 students this year, which would be in line with previous supply drops, said Director of Communications Noah Levy. At each location, the Backpack Fund will take a school bus to hand out backpacks with supplies including pencils, pens, pencil pouches, pencil sharpeners, crayons, erasers, dry erase markers, scissors, glue sticks, highlighters and rulers. The fund buys supplies in bulk, which Levy says helps reduce costs.

"We ballpark it as, like, every $10 is able to give one kid school supplies for the year," Levy said.

The fund has announced on its social media pages that Painesville Township Park, 1025 Hardy Road, will be the first supply drop location, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Additional supply drop locations will be announced in the coming days.

The Backpack Fund was started in 2020 by four Riverside High School class of 2018 graduates: Matt Parsons, who currently serves as the nonprofit's president; Charlie Ringler, who is the director of Technology; Caleb Valko; and Levy.

Levy noted that the original inspiration came from Parsons, saying, "He thought that the community did a lot for him growing up, especially growing up at Riverside, so he wanted to do a lot for the community, and that's where this started."

He added that the fund received help as it was launching from Nick Fitzgerald, a 2016 Riverside graduate who had previous experience distributing school supplies to those in need.

"He found us on social media when we, like, were first starting off, and he reached out, and he helped us out," Levy said.

Area businesses have contributed to the fund this year, including donations and gift cards that it raffles off to donors. Levy mentioned that the Bangerter Law Office in Willoughby has helped the group raise money, with other prominent supporters listed on the nonprofit's website including the Lake County Educational Federal Credit Union in Painesville Township, Redhawk Grille in Concord Township, Turf Pride Lawncare Service in Mentor and Yogi's Closet in Willoughby.

As of July 21, the fund's website notes that it has raised $4,796 for the 2022 supply drop out of a $10,000 goal, though Levy noted that this amount does not yet include funds provided through a match incentive.

"When you include that, we can more than afford the scholarship and the supply drop as it is right now," he said.

According to the website, the fund raised between $7,000 and $8,000 in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, it provided 552 total backpacks. In 2021, it provided 509 backpacks through the supply drops, giving an additional 168 directly to the Riverside Local School District and 32 to the Madison Local School District.

In addition to the supply drops, the Backpack Fund is also involved with the Emily Ringler Memorial Scholarship, awarded in honor of Charlie's older sister, a Riverside class of 2017 graduate who lost a 15-month battle against osteosarcoma in 2019. According to the fund's website, she was studying at Ohio University to become a nurse.

The $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually at Riverside's commencement ceremony to a graduating student who plans to start at a two- or four-year institution in the next year. According to Levy, applicants respond to two 500-word prompts. The Backpack Fund team reviews the applications anonymously, providing the Ringlers with a requested number of applications from which the family chooses.

Levy said that the scholarship "preserves her memory, it gives everyone a huge chance to reflect on the life that she had and the positivity that she brought," adding that it "encourages everyone who's applying, and it kind of helps to bring out the same spark in them."

Nick Carrabine, director of marketing and communications for the Riverside School District, said, "We are appreciative of the time and energy that The Backpack Fund put into their school supply drops every summer. It is always great to see Riverside High School graduates give back to the community in a meaningful way and we are proud to partner with them. These supply drops help hundreds of students that are in need of school supplies every year."

"We do this because we want kids to know that people believe in them and people have their back," Levy said.

To learn more about the Backpack Fund or donate, visit thebackpackfundohio.com.