December 4, 2015 Watertown, NY – WPBS-DT, gives back to the community as part of the September’s Fall Festival Membership Drive. Sponsorship for the member drive was given by Key Bank and used to match pledges from members; one pledge equals one pound of food. Wal-Mart of Watertown partnered with WPBS and matched the dollars spent at their store to provide food for the South Jeff Backpack Program. A total of $500 in food was donated to the program. The program gives students backpacks full of food for the weekends, so they are able to come back to school ready to learn and not worried about being hungry. The South Jeff Backpack Program does not receive any monies from the South Jefferson School Budget. The program relies strictly on donations of food and money from community residents and local businesses. The program has no administrative costs and is staffed by volunteers. All food and household items are delivered directly to enrolled families and their children. The program currently feeds around 200 children.
Norm and Nancy Hart, namesakes of the WPBS Hart Legacy Society, matched the remaining sponsorship money from Key Bank. All proceeds were donated to Better Beginnings for Kingston Children in Canada. Better Beginnings for Kingston Children (BBKC) offers programs and supports for families with children from 0-5 years living in north Kingston. Programs include prenatal education and support, home visiting, parent-child support groups, parenting programs, and school readiness programs. All services are free; assistance with transportation and childcare are provided when needed.
About WPBS-TV
WPBS-TV is a non-profit public television station serving approximately 650,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario. WPBS-TV’s mission is to educate, entertain and inform our two-nation audience through superior local and national content and media engagement in order to enhance the lives of those it serves. More information about WPBS is available at www.wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter and Facebook. Download our mobile app at Google Play or the ITunes App Store.
