Huntington Bank, Salvation Army partner to deliver 1,000 backpacks to IPS schoolchildren in need

This morning, Salvation Army Indiana Divisional Commander, Major Richard Amick was pleased to accept 1,000 backpacks and school supplies from Huntington Bank on behalf of Indianapolis Public School children across the city. The donation is part of a 30,000 backpack donation throughout Huntington’s six-state service area.

Major Amick was all smiles accepting the donation saying, “times are every bit as challenging as they were last year, so it’s exciting to see the community rise up to help us reach out to IPS schoolchildren and give them the tools they need and the hope to succeed.”

In fact, in this its second year partnering with The Salvation Army, Huntington has more than doubled the backpack donation to Indianapolis schoolchildren. In fact, this year, The Salvation Army will distribute about 600 more backpacks than in 2009. Read more

Mrs. Lewis, Shoe Carnival help kids in need get ready for school

This morning, thanks to Mrs. Lewis and the team at the Lafayette Road Shoe Carnival, nearly 120 kids from The Salvation Army’s Summer Day Camp programs in Indy got the tools they’ll need to start school on the right foot.

According to Huntington Bank’s 2010 Backpack Index, the average cost for a family to send a child to elementary school (with all the school recommended supplies and necessary clothing) is about $475. With the first days of school quickly approaching, parents are no doubt feeling the pressure of providing new shoes, back packs and school supplies. But, thanks to the generosity of long time Salvation Army donor, Mrs. Laura Lewis, 120 children are set to go.

School 79 gets back to school boost

Huntington helps kids in need start school with the right tools

Huntington's President Mike Newbold and Major Dick Amick team up to get backpacks to kids in need in time for school.

Thanks to our friends at Huntington Bank, hundreds of children will have the tools they need to start school next week. Huntington’s President, Mike Newbold, presented 450 backpacks and supplies to Major Amick this morning. He shared, “Huntington is committed to helping families save, budget and spend wisely, but we wanted to do more. We’re proud to say we have 1,000 backpacks and school supplies to give here in Indianapolis.”

Huntington teamed up with Big Lots and Meijer to set a goal to help 100,000 children in need in the communities they serve. Major Amick proudly accepted the backpacks saying, “Certainly as parents are struggling to provide housing and necessities, school supplies slip down the list of priorities. It’s our challenge and our priviledge to come alongside them and give them encouragement. These backpacks will do just that for hundreds of families and we couldn’t do that without our partners at Huntington Bank.” Read more