A new backpack is a rite of passage for most kids each summer as they prepare to head back to school. In July, families in our Church took on a challenge and teamed up with Foster AZ for an amazing backpack drive!

While we asked our Church family to donate backpacks and supplies to fill them, we didn’t want to stop there. We had a desire to create a super fun party environment for the kids to attend. The goal? To let kids in Foster Care feel love from somewhere unexpected – their community.

Cornerstone Church in Chandler, Scottsdale and Queen Creek and other partners came together to provide:

751 backpacks donated

483 kids now ready for school

268 bags going out this week to support other kids in foster care

200 + volunteers

60+ hosts spending time with the kids all day

6 churches partnering together

Partners and volunteers from Wells Fargo, Toni and Guy Academy, EVIT, Bashas’, and The Edge Salon

Volunteers from Yuma, Tucson, Glendale, and throughout the valley

The true blessing in this backpack drive was bringing a community together.

Community is a place where love abounds and needs are met, where there are no expectations beyond making a moment in life better. Community and encouragement seem to go hand in hand. Encouragement happens when we are aware of others’ needs, being willing to meet their needs and make a difference.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”

At Cornerstone, we are grateful that Foster AZ has told us, taught us and now involved us in the lives of Foster Kids. We desire to be involved in the community that makes a difference for the kids. To be a place where support overflows for Foster Parents and Organizations that are taking care of these kids every single day.

Together, in community, we can make a difference.