Twenty-four Bellevue congregations came together Monday to stuff backpacks with back-to-school supplies for 1,052 kids in the Bellevue School District. Congregation for Kids, now in its 13th year, provides backpacks and school supplies for needy Eastside kids. The project first began in 1996 with 10 congregations helping 143 students and now serves nearly 2,000 Bellevue-area students.

Patty Drew, the manager of the backpack project, was joined by volunteers in the Stevenson Elementary School gymnasium to stuff backpacks for pre-kindegarten through high school students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. This past school year, 17 percent of the students in Bellevue public schools qualified for the free and reduced-price lunch program. To cater to each individual student, the backpacks are packed according to grade levels.

Congregation for Kids is the only group in Bellevue that works with the district to help kids in every Bellevue school get new backpacks and school supplies.

Last year, 27 congregations, two service organizations, a charitable relief organization, a thrift shop, a foundation and a corporation all participated in the project. This year, the non-profit organization became an arm of Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council, which also provides help for Congregations for the Homeless and the homeless men’s shelter that rotates among Eastside congregations.

Congregations for Kids also does a Coats for Kids project that will take place in October.

For information on the Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council visit www.eiscc.net.