Senior Bella Romano makes annual donation to B-P backpack program

“No child should ever have to worry where or when their next meal will come from.” That’s the mission of the Broadalbin-Perth backpack program, according to elementary school co-principal Kerri Barker. The program, which works in conjunction with the Northeast Regional Food Bank and the Broadalbin Presbyterian Church, provides food for between 35 and 45 B-P students during weekends and school breaks. “The program provides food stability for families when they need it so our students can come to school nutritionally sound and focused on learning,” Barker said.

And the program is thriving thanks, in part, to the efforts of a senior at B-P Jr./Sr. High School. Bella Romano has worked to raise money for the backpack program over the past four years. Recently, she presented a donation check that was the culmination of an expanded can and bottle drive that includes collection boxes located on the docks at Wally’s Driftwood Park in Mayfield. 

“The backpack program is an initiative that has become central to my high school experience,” Romano said. “The new collection boxes not only generate funds for local children in need but also promote environmental consciousness by encouraging visitors to keep the Great Sacandaga Lake clean.”

Since her freshman year, Romano has raised more than $3,000 for the program.