For the 15th year, employees of Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) and Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital (OGH), Kaleida Health facilities, packed 500 backpacks with a variety of school supplies to benefit area elementary students this school year.

The donated backpacks were distributed to students who might otherwise go without necessary school supplies. The program benefits students at George G. Blaisdell and School Street elementary schools and Bradford Area Christian Academy in Bradford and at Smethport Elementary in Pennsylvania; at East View and Washington West schools in Olean, as well as Cuba-Rushford, Delevan, Friendship, Hinsdale and Salamanca schools in New York. Students receiving the backpacks will find pencils, erasers, scissors, paper, crayons, rulers, glue sticks and folders to start the school year. All items were donated by employees of both hospital campuses and the physician practices.

“The backpack project is something that we’re really excited to support every year,” said Stacey Green, project coordinator, OGH. “It’s a great way for our staff at BRMC and OGH to come together as a team and help kids in our communities start the school year with the supplies and confidence they need to be successful. This outreach program highlights how deeply the teams at BRMC and OGH care about the community we serve.”

A program that started in 2010, the pack a backpack program is part of the hospitals’ community connections initiative, a program in which employees volunteer their time to educate the community on a variety of health and wellness issues to promote healthier lifestyles and address community health, safety and social needs in the hospitals’ service areas.