What's better than helping local kids? Inspiring others to do the same! Since the launch of our latest public service TV campaign featuring Pittsburgh baseball player Josh Harrison, we've received a huge response from people asking how they can get involved. The organization we're supporting, Blessings in a Backpack, fills backpacks full of food for low-income children to take home on weekends. For many, this is the only food they have access to when they are not in school. Through this program, our law firm has "adopted" one Pittsburgh-area school, but there are many more schools in our region that still need help. Just yesterday, we received an encouraging letter from the program directors of the Mountain Lion BackPack Program. After seeing our public service announcement, a group of little league players from the Altoona Area Baseball Association wanted to find a way to be like Josh by helping the kids in their own community. With the help of their parents, the players teamed up with the Mountain Lion BackPack Program, a charity similar to Blessings in a Backpack, to help pack food bags for elementary school students.

The Mountain Lion BackPack Program feeds 840 students in the Altoona Area School District every weekend during the school year. And the team isn't stopping there. They will also have an information table and collect donations at their upcoming All-Star Game Day Festivities on May 31st. Here is an excerpt from the letter sent to us by Jim and Heather Little, program directors of the Mountain Lion BackPack Program: If you're in the Altoona area, please consider supporting this wonderful organization to help them serve even more kids!powerbag backpack for sale The BackPack Program is a nationwide program of the Feeding America Network operating in partnership with the Altoona Area School District.75l backpack too big Each Friday during the school year, children enrolled in the program receive a backpack filled with easy-to-prepare meals and snacks in a safe and discreet manner. puma men's barometer laptop backpack bag black

They bring their backpacks home, knowing they will have food for the weekend, and return the backpack to their teacher on Monday. The program runs for 32 weeks, October through May. The program now serves over 800 students between Penn Lincoln, Baker, Juniata, and Juniata Gap Schools as it completes its fourth year of operation. There are nearly 2,000 elementary students in the Altoona area with this need, and it is the hope of Mountain Lion BackPacks to eventually expand to all eight elementary schools in the district.mcm backpack taobao To donate, volunteer, or learn more, click here.rhodos backpackAt Edgar Snyder & Associates, we consider ourselves to be more than just a law firm representing injured people—we're also proud members and supporters of the western Pennsylvania communities we call home.hoeveel inhoud backpack

We're proud to announce that our firm is now partnering with two local athletes and nonprofits to help a cause close to all of our hearts: children. These partnerships with Pittsburgh second baseman Josh "J-Hay" Harrison and defensive end Cam Heyward help support children who need it most. It's a staggering statistic: In Pennsylvania, more than 20 percent of all children are food insecure—something that can have severe and long-lasting consequences. cube backpack frs 20According to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, hungry kids are nearly three times more likely to suffer from poor health, and are at greater risk of everything from vitamin deficiencies to behavior problems. To help combat hunger, Edgar Snyder & Associates is teaming up with Josh Harrison, DreamBuilders, FOCUS+Pittsburgh, and the Food Bank. Together, we are supporting a new initiative called the Backpack Feeding Program, which sends students home on Fridays with healthy food so they won't have to worry about being hungry over the weekend.

The program was created after a Pittsburgh Public School teacher asked the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for assistance for her students, many of whom were food insecure on the weekends. Those students then returned to school on Monday mornings tired and unmotivated. She said some even exhibited behavioral problems, which she attributed to them not getting enough to eat over the weekend. That's when Josh and a nonprofit he is involved with, Dreambuilders, stepped up to the plate. Dreambuilders works with athletes in different cities help kids in need meet their wellness goals. Our firm is proud to partner with them in support of the program, which currently benefits the North Side Public School, where food is distributed to children in need. Organizers are hopeful that the number of involved Pittsburgh Public Schools will grow along with sponsorships and volunteers. Some KidsVoice clients have been abused and neglected, while others live in group homes or are making their way through the foster care system.

Many of the children have parents who are in jail. Most are from families whose annual income falls below the poverty line. Now those children, clients at KidsVoice—a non-profit agency that advocates for children involved in the child-welfare system—have friends in Pittsburgh football player Cam Heyward and Edgar Snyder & Associates through a partnership with The Heyward House. Cam established The Heyward House last year—a foundation to benefit children and families in need. The Heyward House treats children from KidsVoice to many fun outings, including field trips, a visit to the Steelers training camp, and a winter shopping trip to Dick's Sporting Goods to purchase cold-weather gear like coats and gloves. The programs Cam and The Heyward House support also fund after-school physical fitness programs at cash-strapped school districts, and provide birthday presents for children who live in foster homes or in government housing. Cam is also raising awareness for childhood asthma— something he struggled with as a child.