The Van Buren ISD is holding its 15th annual Van Buren County Backpack Giveaway from 3 to 6 pm today. It will be at Van Buren Tech at 250 South Street in Lawrence as part of their Back To School Bonanza 2023. Superintendent Dave Manson says it is for all students in the county. We asked if staff members or volunteers stuffed the backpacks or it they bought them already full.
“It’s varied through the years. For awhile we packed and stuffed our own backpacks. When COVID came along, and we couldn’t get a large group of people together, we started to buy pre-stuffed backpacks. These are pre-stuffed this year. We make that decision each year based on the prices and the time we have available.”
Last year, they gave away between 900 and 1,000 backpacks.
