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Annual BackPack Challenge brought in over 5,000 lbs. of food

The final numbers are in from the 2016 Business to Business BackPack Challenge.

Over 30 local businesses combined to donate 5,035 pounds of food and $5,245.05 to the BackPack program.

The BackPack Program distributes packages filled with food to school children each Friday before they leave school, providing them with nutritious food through the weekend.

The program takes about 55,000 pounds of food to feed the Warren County School District children in the program for the whole school year, so this year’s Business to Business goal was to collect canned pasta, soups, and fruit cups.

The Rouse, the Times Observer, the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry (WCCBI) and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania organize the event.

After compiling the numbers from the event, the Rouse divided the total donations by the number of employees at the business to come up with a percentage per employee donated.

The top five donating businesses by percentage were:

¯ Presents and Posies (one employee, 159 pounds of food, $945.19 donated, 1,104.16 percent),

¯ Woman’s Club of Warren (two employees, 96 pounds of food, $15 donated, 55.5 percent),

¯ Allegheny Outfitters (four employees, 115 pounds of food donated, 28.75 percent)

¯ Warren Public Library (28 employees, 130 pounds of food, $500 donated, 22.5 percent)

¯ Cambridge (36 employees, 251 pounds of food, $211.90 donated, 12.86 percent).

Presents and Posies was the number one donor for the second consecutive year.

Although they didn’t place in the top five, other businesses in the county were still extremely generous, according to Rouse Marketing Director Kerstin Wyman.

“One thing I want to be sensitive to is that we have some very large businesses that donated, such as Blue Stem, URC (United Refining Company), WGH (Warren General Hospital) and I don’t want them to be overlooked,” Wyman said. “They didn’t place in the top five because they have a lot more employees, but we are very appreciative in what they donated as well.”

A complete list of donating businesses includes Rouse Estate, Allegheny Outfitters, Berenfield Containers, Blair/Blue Stem, Bollingers, Elwood, Cambridge, CTI, Erie Bank, Experience Inc., Family Services, Hospice of Warren, Jones Chevrolet, Kersey Associates. Market Street Dental, Presents and Posies, Primary Health, Snap Fitness, Superior Plus Energy, Superior Tire, Targeted Pet Treats, Tops of Warren, United Refining, Voty Insurance, Warren County Realtors, Warren County Assistance, Warren Public Library, Warren General Hospital, Whirley, and the Woman’s Club.

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