This past Saturday, I participated in a community service event called the World’s Biggest Backpack, where people donated school supplies to be given out to children and teachers in the community for free. My mom invited me to participate through her church, and I decided to tag along. Many people from her church and other churches and organizations in the community of North Pole, Alaska donated supplies, including backpacks, packages of pencils, jars of peanut butter and jelly, tissues, and binders.

Along with the tables full of people passing out school supplies, there were many organizations advertising their services for kids and teens, such as youth basketball programs, a rock climbing program, 4-H, and girl and boy scouts. The local police department even had booths where they passed out pencils and stickers, and booklets with safety tips.

There was also an RV offering free immunizations before school starts.

And a table where volunteers passed out jars of peanut butter and jelly, along with loaves a bread for "Back to School Kits."

The people from my mom’s church had been talking about this event for a few weeks before it happened to stress the importance of it. The lady who was in charge of organizing the church’s group of volunteers told everyone that this was not only an opportunity to give back to the community and give children supplies they need, but it was an opportunity to touch their hearts and show them a glimpse of the work and love of God. She said that this could be the closest some of these children get to being exposed to this and that we should pray for these children and keep them in our hearts.

This really stood out to me. I really liked the fact that people went out of their way to show people the love of God, that people cared enough for strangers to want to give them this experience. I’ve never been a religious person, but I have a lot of respect for that. They weren’t suggesting that they individually, out loud, prayed for every person that came by their table. However, they wanted to show that with the love and work of God in their hearts, your life can be fulfilled. And personally, I think that is a beautiful thing.

Aside from this, I really enjoyed the experience of being able to hand children their school supplies and seeing the smiles on their faces when they got them. The parents also had looks of relief because they knew that they didn’t have to worry as much about school supplies anymore, and that was something that hit home with me. When my mom was a single mother, programs like this really helped us out when times were tough, and to be able to give this opportunity to others made me feel like I was doing something that would make a real impact in someone’s life.

Overall, this event opened my eyes to a lot of things about people. It showed me that it’s okay to believe that there’s good in people and that there are more people than you think that want to do something for the greater good. It also showed me that it’s very easy to go and make a difference in someone’s life when you put yourself out there to help others.