Submitted by Laurie McBurnie, Willow Grange
Judi Olson, of Jefferson was honored with the Spirit of America Award on Thursday, July 27 at Willow Grange in Jefferson. Members of the public joined Grange members for a potluck supper and program to honor Olson on her much-deserved award.
Olson heads up the Jefferson Blessings in a Backpack chapter. She started the weekend meals project at Jefferson Village School in 2011 and has managed the program for the past 12 years. Over the years, her family members have helped with the program. When she first started the program, she had lots of volunteers, but now it is pretty much a one-woman show.
Olson fundraises, purchases food, bags it up, and delivers it to the school. The school puts the food in children’s backpacks in their lockers.
During the 2022-2023 school year, she delivered 37 bags of food a week to the school. The previous school year was her biggest, with 47 children served.
Her food bags contain two breakfast items, like cereal or granola bars, and two entrees, such as soup, canned spaghetti, mac and cheese, canned chicken, tuna or ham, peanut butter, or Vienna sausage. She also includes a couple of snacks like fresh or canned fruit, applesauce, crackers and cheese or peanut butter, and snack bars.
Olson keeps her inventory in a room in her basement. She has accounts at Walmart and Sam’s Club. All the money she raises goes into the Jefferson Village School Blessings in a Backpack account at the two businesses.
“It is quite convenient,” she said.
She raises $3,500 annually for the Blessings in a Backpack program at JVS.
During the program, Worthy Master Ed Worthley presented Olson with a plaque noting her award. Lecturer Paula Roberts gave her $238 raised from a pie auction, lecturer’s march receipts, and donations.
The Blessings in a Backpack program is a nationwide project that feeds children throughout the United States. The program started in 2005, and there are now 1,000 programs throughout the United States. Since 2009, Blessings in a Backpack has grown from feeding 9,022 to 89,579 kids a year.
Olson said the most rewarding part of Blessings in a Backpack is feeding hungry children.
“When they go back to school on Monday, their brains will be working, and they will do well in school and go on to college and get a nice job,” Olson said.