As Rebecca said in her bat mitzvah speech, “Volunteering at Project Backpack is my way of giving back to the community and maybe making life a little more bearable for these unfortunate kids.”  Daughter of Bonnie and Steve Davis of Town & Country, Rebecca chose this particular project for several reasons.

First, she felt Project Backpack was so worthwhile because it benefits children who are in a crises situation.  It also was a “hands-on” project that she could take an active role in.

Over the course of a year, Rebecca volunteered about two hours each month at the organization’s warehouse where she filled backpacks that were to be distributed.  “She put quite a bit of thought into each backpack, because she wanted to make sure that the children would like all of the items they received and that all of the items matched,” her mother said. Rebecca also went to the Dollar Store several times and purchased additional items she thought the children would like. 

In honor of Rebecca’s bat mitzvah, the Davis family had Project Backpack make Rebecca’s bimah baskets filled with many of the items they use such as toys, school supplies, toiletries, stuffed animals and T-shirts.  

A student at Parkway Central Middle School, Rebecca was affected by this project.  “It was upsetting to me that there are children that need to be removed from their homes,” she said.  “It also bothered me that these kids did not have anything.  Project Backpack helped me to realize that everyone is not as fortunate as I am and that there are a lot of people who have very hard lives.  By volunteering at Project Backpack, I was able to help and possibly make things easier for these children,” she added.  

Project Backpack provides backpacks to children who are removed from their homes because they are victims of domestic violence, many times with nothing but the clothes that they are wearing.  Project Backpack fills backpacks with necessary items such as sleep tees, socks, toiletries, school supplies and toys, and provides them to the police departments, social service agencies, domestic violence shelters, and the Department of Family Services, which distribute them to the children.  For more information about this organization, visit www.projectbackpackstlouis.org.