As a Blessings in a Backpack partner school, Palmetto Elementary was excited to help Vera Bradley surprise the National chapter by using their school as the backdrop of a $100,000 check presentation.
Melissa Hall, Palmetto’s behavior specialist and the school’s Blessings in a Backpack coordinator, received a surprise of her own. Actually, it was a schoolwide surprise. To celebrate Melissa for going above and beyond for her school community, Vera Bradley redecorated the teacher workroom, gifted backpacks to all 775 students and provided tote bags to the 75 instructional staff.
“We are so proud to have Ms. Hall on our staff. I cannot thank her enough. She gives herself unconditionally to the kids every single day,” Principal Faythia Brown-Carpenter said.
The new furniture and accessories, as well as a coffee bar, create an inviting space for staff to collaborate. Vera Bradley also supplied new shelving units to help store food for the Blessings in a Backpack recipients.
“This is something I never would have dreamed of for our students,” Hall said. “I am thankful to Blessings in a Backpack and to Vera Bradley for this opportunity. Thank you for sharing your love with our students and we will definitely pass that love onto them.”
In addition, Vera Bradley donated $5,000 to the Orlando chapter of Blessings in a Backpack in Hall’s honor, for all that she does to ensure the program runs smoothly. Currently, the Orlando chapter supports 4,628 students – including 350 Palmetto students – at 30 programs across Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties.