(Spirit Lake)– Northwest Bank is once again helping kids stay nourished on weekends and during holiday breaks with their Backpack Program. Northwest Bank President Nicole Evans talks about the program...
“The backpack program provides food to children in need every Friday during the school year. Keeps them nourished over the weekend, you know, so they can come back to school on Monday, ready to learn. Our school’s backpack programs always have a higher need around the holiday season, their kids home from school over holiday breaks so we want to make sure that they have plenty to take home with them over those extended periods.”
Evans says they will take donations the entire month of November...
“The backpack program is something that many of our area schools do have, which is wonderful. The Spirit Lake, Arnolds Park and Milford Northwest Bank branches are hosting a drive during this all month of November. We’re going to be accepting non-perishable food items at all of our branches during the month. In addition, we are also accepting monetary donations at each branch. Spirit Lake donations will go to the Spirit Lake Schools and then the donations dropped off at the Arnolds Park and Milford Northwest Bank branches will go to the Okoboji Schools backpack program.”
The Northwest Bank branch in Estherville will also be taking donations that will support the Estherville schools backpack program.
Northwest Bank will match up to $500 in donations to each school. Evans says the donations are especially important this year...
“This is something that we support every year and we’re excited to do that. Our community is always so giving and we’re so grateful for that. And this is just a really important program that we hope everyone considers supporting. It’s especially important not just now because of the holidays but you know in light of different things going on in our economy and with the government shutdown that adds another layer of some possible food insecurity. We want to make sure that we do everything that we can to help support families where they need it.”
You can stop in at any of the Northwest Bank branch locations to make a donation or to get more information on the backpack program. You can also find more information here: https://www.nw.bank/resources/dont-miss-out/events/event-detail/2025/11/01/default-calendar/backpack-program—okoboji-and-spirit-lake
