Students at Shelby County High School are working hard to make sure that younger students in their community will have a Merry Christmas.  This year, the Shelby County High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) have teamed up to provide Santa Buddies for students who participate in the Backpack Buddies program from elementary and middle school schools that feed into the high school.

Backpack Buddies is a program that supplies meals for at-risk students over the weekends.  It originated as a partnership between Inverness Vineyard Church and the Junior League of Birmingham, but has since grown to include community partners all over the county supporting various Shelby County Schools.  The program targets children ages 5 to 12 who are on free or reduced lunches in public schools.

“The kids typically need additional snacks or meals over the weekend, and are too young to walk to a store for food,” Program Director Stephanie Grissom said. 

The Shelby County High School FCCLA students, with assistance from advisor Alana Ray, sewed homemade stockings to fill with things ranging from fruit and candy to coloring books and hot chocolate.  The FFA members helped to raise the money to purchase items or donated items for stocking stuffers.  Buds Best Cookies also donated cookies to fill the stockings. The high school groups packed approximately 90 stockings for students that attend Wilsonville, Shelby, and Elvin Hill Elementary schools and Columbiana Middle.  

“Besides helping Backpack Buddies get a little something for Christmas, it also shows the FFA members that during Christmas, giving is much better than receiving,” said Dustin Cleckler, Shelby County High FFA Advisor.