Project of Armstrong, Backpack Buddies

The Avenge Hunger Food Drive, conducted by Armstrong, is currently taking place throughout Lawrence County to benefit the Backpack Buddies organization of the Campbell Chapel Freewill Baptist Church.

Backpack Buddies provides children in need with food for the weekends throughout the school year, and is in need of easy-to-prepare (by children), non-perishable food items.

“Armstrong spearheaded this effort as part of our Breaking Bread year-round food drive campaign,” Shane Finster, Armstrong community marketing manager, said. “The Breaking Bread campaign is to serve the hungry, and we wanted to focus this effort to help Backpack Buddies during back to school time. Backpack Buddies is a great organization that helps a lot of kids receive food that they need.”

Needed items for the food drive include applesauce cups, crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, individual boxes of cereal, individual packets of oatmeal, fruit cups, Ramen noodles, pudding cups, macaroni and cheese, easy-open cans of soup and juice boxes. All other non-perishable food items are also welcome.

All donations can be dropped off at the following participating locations:

• Armstrong: 9651 County Road 1, South Point, OH 45680

• Bartram and Son Supermarket: 2407 S. Sixth St., Ironton, OH 45638

• Campbell Chapel Freewill Baptist Church: 1709 Campbell Drive, Ironton, OH 45638

• City National Bank: 1012 Rockwood Ave., Chesapeake, OH 45619

• City National Bank: 506 Park Ave., Ironton, OH 45630

• City National Bank: 201 State St., Proctorville, OH 45669

• Coal Grove FoodFair: 702 High St., Coal Grove, OH 45638

• Conley Insurance: 415B Solida Road, South Point, OH 45680

• Kentucky Farm Bureau: 1505 Carter Ave., Ashland, KY 41101

• Ohio University Southern: 1804 Liberty Ave., Ironton, OH 45638

• Ohio University Southern: 111 Private Drive 516, Proctorville, OH 45669

• Proctorville FoodFair: 7604 OH State Route 7, Proctorville, OH 45669

•River Cities Wireless: 202 Vernon St., Ironton, OH 45638

• South Point FoodFair: 409 Solida Road, South Point, OH 45680

• South Point Storage: 602 Solida Road, South Point, OH 45680

• Ironton Elks Lodge 177: 416 Park Ave., Ironton, OH 45638

• Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce: 216 Collins Ave., South Point, OH 45680

The food drive began on Monday and will run until Sunday, Sept. 23.

Backpack Buddies was started in 2012 by Jodie Hunt, and currently serves 309 children at Rock Hill Elementary, Rock Hill Middle, Rock Hill High School, Dawson-Bryant Elementary, Dawson-Bryant Middle, Ironton Middle, Ironton High, Open Door School, Lawrence County Cooperative and Lawrence County Head Start of South Point.

For more information on Backpack Buddies, visit the organization’s website at www.backpackbuddies1.com. For more information about Armstrong’s initiative to feed the hungry at its local office, or by visiting www.ArmstrongOneWire.com/BreakingBread.