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Health & Fitness

"We Exist to Make a Difference"

Local church makes a difference in the lives of over 500 kids starting school this week with annual give-a-way of free backpacks and school supplies.

This motto appears at the bottom of every Sunday bulletin, and on every brochure about the Campbell Church.

On Saturday, August 18, they put that motto into practice at their annual give-a-way of backpacks and school supplies to the local community.

Doors opened an hour ahead of the posted time of 1:30, inviting in nearly 200 families to file through a large room filled with tables laden with backpacks, crayons, markers, paper - pretty much everything a kid would need for back-to-school.

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This year, the event was expanded to include supplies for middle and high school students.

"We originally began this event to support the kids of our local elementary schools, like Rosemary, Castlemont and Capri. But in prevoius years, we found that a lot of families had older kids who needed supplies just as much as the younger ones. This year we wanted to expand what we offered to kids of all ages" says Garry Bortz, Children's Minister at the Campbell Church.

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This was the largest turnout in the four-year history of the event - over 525 backpacks were given out, each packed with the supplies each student was able to personally select for themselves.

Matthew Humphreys, Youth and Family Minister, talks about the reasoning behind this process. "We are far less concerned with moving people through the line quickly as we are with making people feel empowered. By letting them choose everything from which backpack they get, to what color it is, to which pair of scissors they want. While it does take longer to serve all of the families who show up, we want to create an experience like they would have if they went to the store and bought what they wanted."

As famlies finished selecting what they needed, the second half of the room was filled with books at every reading level, also donated by families and kids from the Campbell Church. 

"I've read these books once or twice already, and they're just sitting on my shelf. I'm glad another kid can take them home and read it and maybe give it to someone else when they are done," says Colin Gabrielson, age 9. 

In the main courtyard, as families waited their turn to go through the line upstairs, kids were entertained on a bounce house and offered free lemonade, bottled water, popcorn and cotton candy.

"This event is a gift from the people of the Campbell Church to the local community. We don't ask for anythign in return - you don't have to come to church just to participate! We don't ask for I.D.  - it's just first-come, first-served, and one backpack per child," says Bortz.

School supplies are purchased and donated by the families of the Campbell Church. Volunteers spend the Saturday prior organizing donations into piles and stations in a large room on campus. Supplies for older kids - like protractors and college-rulted paper - are separated to make it easier for kids to find exactly what they need.

More than twice the number of families showed up at this event, lining up as early as 11am. For those who came towards the end of the afternoon, volunteers made quick runs to local retailers to re-stock on supplies that were running low. At the end of the day, rainchecks were issued to the few stragglers that didn't get there in time for a backpack. 

"As of Monday moring, we have 75 more backpacks on order that we'll have by the end of the week. We don't want anyone who made the effort to show up to go away empty handed." says Randy Hall, senior preaching minister.

This event is one of several offered by the Campbell Church as a gift to the local community. Due to construction in the parking lot, the annual "Trunk 'N Treat" Halloween event has been cancelled for this year, but coming up on December 1st will be the much-anticipated "Breakfast With Santa." Crafts and hot cocoa while families wait to be seated, a hot pancake breakfast and time for kids to take pictures with Santa Claus; all free, but reservations are required. Call the church office after November 1st to make a reservation at 408.378.4900. 

The Campbell Church of Christ is located at 1075 West Campbell Avenue, at Victor and Campbell Avenue, between San Tomas Expressway and San Tomas Aquino Road. Parking is available off of Victor and Hededgard Avenue. 

The Campbell Church is a great place for kids and families! For more information on news and events, check out their Facebook page.

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