For most high school seniors, the final year of school is filled with college applications and countdown calendars. For Aberdeen High School senior Sam, it also means another season of collecting donations, packing backpacks, and making sure Harford County residents experiencing homelessness have what they need to get through the winter.
Sam has been involved with Blessings Backpacks for a decade. Her mother ran the program for six years before she took it over, and in the four years since, the effort has grown leaps and bounds. Each year, Sam coordinates with her church, Christ Our King, to collect monetary and physical donations and assemble backpacks packed with items to help people through the colder months of the year.
The program is driven as much by personal conviction as by family tradition. Sam says it breaks her heart that the need exists, but that she is grateful to have played a role in addressing it. She hopes to continue the work in the years ahead and to inspire others in Harford County to do the same.