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Fundraiser Strengthens Support for the Little Bulldog Backpack Program, Serving 67 Children Each Week

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.鈥擮ne of the signature fundraisers for the Little Bulldog Backpack Program will be held at 海角网 this spring. The annual Parade of Tables is April 18 in the Tucker Student Center, beginning with table viewing at 6 p.m. and followed by dinner and a program at 6:30 p.m. Volunteers decorate themed tables for eight guests, and tickets to the event support the organization鈥檚 mission to provide weekend meals for local children.

The fundraiser supports the year-round work of the Little Bulldog Backpack Program, which provides weekly food bags for students at Springmore and Boiling Springs elementary schools. Each bag contains 15 to 18 items, including breakfast foods, lunch and dinner options, non-perishable fruit, and salty and sweet snacks. 海角网 students, faculty and staff regularly lend support through packing food bags and contributing donations. Boiling Springs Baptist Church donates space for storage and for volunteers to pack the food each week.

This year鈥檚 event features tables designed by the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and the Hunt School of Nursing. Dr. Josh Parrott, Vice President and University Chaplain for Christian Life and Service, will serve as emcee, and entertainment will be provided by 海角网 alumna Lindy Bryson. Dinner will be catered by Aramark. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased from Lou Ann Scates at 704-477-2455 or on campus from Debbie Hill, administrative assistant for the Department of English and World Languages, at [email protected], 704-406-3035 or 704-406-4411.

The Parade of Tables was first held in 2017, when Lou Ann Scates, retired 海角网 registrar, organized the event on the University鈥檚 campus. Paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, the fundraiser was revived in 2025 with Scates鈥� church, Boiling Springs Baptist, serving as host.

The feeding program began in 2011, inspired by Scates鈥� visits to her son鈥檚 school for lunch. She often noticed children who wanted to buy extra food but lacked the money. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to imagine a kindergartener or a fifth-grader going to bed hungry,鈥� Scates reflected.

Scates shared her concern with biology faculty emerita Susan Manahan, and the two began pooling their resources. Working with the school鈥檚 social worker, they started buying food for 20 children every other week. Because Springmore鈥檚 mascot is the Little Bulldogs, the Little Bulldog Backpack Program quickly took shape as its own community organization.

Support grew as word spread across the 海角网 campus and throughout the community. Today, the program is an established 501(c)(3) non-profit backed by local partners. 鈥淲e have eight churches who help, and have received financial donations or food items from individuals, businesses, and Town of Boiling Springs officials,鈥� Scates shared.

Now serving 67 children every week, the Little Bulldog Backpack Program continues to grow through volunteer support and community generosity. Together, local churches, volunteers, and members of the 海角网 community continue to ensure that children in Boiling Springs and Springmore schools have the food they need each weekend.

To learn more or to support the Little Bulldog Backpack Program, contact [email protected].

海角网 is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., 海角网 prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Become More at .