Military partners are an integral part of Virginia Beach City Public Schools through their participation in classroom activities, mentorship programs and student support groups. But last week, many of the 144 resident commands at JEB Little Creek-Ft. Story took the term “active duty” to a new level by participating in a food drive to support the VBCPS Beach Bags Program.
Organized by the base chapel and school military liaison officers, more than 1,800 Beach Bags were packed by the nearly 60 volunteers representing the Navy, Army and Marines. Members of the base chapel collected $5,000 prior to the food drive and used the donations to purchase milk, cereal, snack, juice and meal items included in each Beach Bag.
It was enough food to pack two school buses and to support the program for the remainder of the school year.
“The military and school communities in Virginia Beach are so tightly intertwined. Still, I am humbled by the overwhelming support of our servicemen and women for the Beach Bags program,” said Eileen M. Cox, director of communications and community engagement for VBCPS. “Thanks to their generosity, hundreds of children will have enough food to eat. This is proof positive that you don’t have to be in combat to be a military hero.”
The Beach Bags program provides meals and healthy snacks to students who may not have enough to eat over weekends and school breaks. Food drives throughout each school year help VBCPS provide these much needed meals to students. Since the program began in 2010, more than 19,000 bags have been given out to children across the school division. Food drives throughout the year help us provide for this program.
Check out a gallery of photos featuring generous donors and business partners on the VBSchools Facebook page!
Did you miss last week’s drive? Don’t worry, the School Administration Building accepts donations each week! Visit vbschools.com for more information on the items needed to pack each Beach Bag.