Batesville, Oldenburg Academy Football Teams Raise $15K To Turnover Hunger

The funds will benefit the Weekend Backsack Program.

Photo by the Ripley County Community Foundation. 

(Batesville, Ind.) – The Batesville High School and Oldenburg Academy Varsity Football Teams raised $15,000 during the 2020-2021 season to support the Ripley County Community Foundation’s Turnover Hunger Program. The funds raised will benefit the Weekend Backsack Program in Ripley County elementary schools.

The $15,000 granted out will serve approximately 175 students each weekend for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year within the following schools: Batesville Primary School, Batesville Intermediate School, Jac-Cen-Del Elementary School, Milan Elementary School, South Ripley Elementary School, and Sunman Elementary School. Students will be sent home with a backpack full of food to serve six meals over the course of a weekend. Items included in the backpack typically consist of canned soups, peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks, applesauce cups, and granola bars.

Karson Macke, a senior football player from Batesville High School, stated, “It’s important to help the children because they are unable to help themselves right now. It feels really good to be able to help them while playing the sport I love most: football.”

The Batesville Bulldogs forced eighteen turnovers during the season and the Oldenburg Academy Twisters forced nine. Joint efforts allowed $10,000 to be raised from pledges and donations, while the remaining $5,000 was gifted from the Ripley County Community Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The Weekend Backsack Program was established by Emily Helvie, now a 2nd grade teacher at Batesville Elementary School, during her senior year at Batesville High School while completing her Capstone Project. The program was such a great success that an employee who assisted with the start-up, Lisa Horn, took the program to Jac-Cen-Del. Years later, the program has been established in other elementary schools in the county.

“We (Milan Elementary School) distribute six ready-to-go meals for the weekend to help students who need it most because we do not want any child to be hungry when they are not receiving our healthy school meals. Students are excited to receive their meal pack each week and these positive effects carry over at school,” noted Jane Rogers, Superintendent of the Milan Community School Corporation. Rogers further stated, “We extend our thanks to the football teams and other organizations who made this donation possible.”

The Ripley County Community Foundation would like to express its biggest appreciation to everyone who supported the Turnover Hunger Program this year. If you’re interested in making a donation or giving to the Turnover Hunger Community Granting Fund (#123), please contact the Ripley County Community Foundation by stopping by 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, Indiana, calling (812) 933-1098, or visiting www.rccfonline.org.