District 220 expresses thanks to Barrington Children's Charities

Barrington Area Unit District 220 officials recently honored a nonprofit organization that provides backpacks filled with necessities and other assistance to less-fortunate students.

Barrington Children's Charities, an 8-year-old nonprofit organization, is run by volunteers with a mission of raising money to support and address the social, emotional, physical and educational well-being of children in need within District 220's boundaries.

Central to the organization's effort is its local operation of the national Blessings in a Backpack program. For 33 weekends a year, the program provides nutritious food to about 750 children on the federal free and reduced-price lunch program at all eight District 220 elementary schools, Prairie and Station middle schools, the early learning center and Barrington High School.

Thomas Hills and his wife, Darby, lead Barrington Children's Charities. Thomas Hills said the nonprofit is helping a growing number of projects and beneficiaries.

"Not only are we feeding children in the schools - over 700 kids - but we are also looking to provide eyeglasses (and) dental support," he said. "And we are also funding counselors in the schools, too,"

Craig Winkelman, assistant superintendent of K-12 and operations at District 220, complimented the nonprofit for recognizing a need at the schools.

"These students, often on the weekends, didn't have access to the same meals and programs that they would get during the week at school," Winkelman said.

Darby Hills said the backpacks are filled by volunteers every Thursday morning at Sunny Hill Elementary School in Carpentersville and then distributed there and at the other District 220 schools.

Blessings in a Backpack programs feed about 87,300 children in 1,092 schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Darby Hills said the local version operated by Barrington Children's Charities is the only one that covers an entire school district.

"Just small, little Barrington," she said. "So, it's very cool."

District 220 has about 8.700 students, with 19 percent classified as low income - 15 percent is the state average - and eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, according to the annual Illinois State Board of Education report card. Superintendent Brian Harris said the low-income figure was about 10 percent in 2008.

The district serves all or parts of Barrington, Barrington Hills, Carpentersville, Deer Park, Fox River Grove, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, Port Barrington, South Barrington and Tower Lakes.