Mercy Mall staff fill backsacks for homeless teens

Every holiday season, the staff at the Mercy Health Mall in Janesville pick a charitable project to help as a team. Instead of giving during the holiday season, they chose to give during the summer. This year, staff made backsacks filled with school supplies to help homeless teens get started for the school year.

The idea sprung from a presentation by Ann Forbeck, homeless student liaison for the School District of Janesville. She also helped set up a shelter for homeless teens called Project 16:49. Ann said that nearly 100 teens are considered homeless in the Janesville and Beloit area. The staff was immediately inspired and choose to help make a difference.

“We wanted to make a positive impact on local teens in need and help them with their basic needs,” said Mary McIntyre, secretary at the occupational conditioning center at the Mercy Health Mall. “Our goal was to help these teens by providing them with backsacks that contained school supplies and personal care items.”

Pictured above is Ann Forbeck (left) and Mary McIntyre. Mary says this turned out to be one of the most exciting charitable projects they have worked on as a team.

But the giving doesn’t stop there.

One Mercy Mall partner and her husband pick a charity to donate to each year. This year, they chose to donate 50 flash drives to the effort.

Another partner visited her dentist and talked about the project. The office ended up donating toothbrushes and toothpaste for the kids.

Not only does each of the backsacks contain the material things these kids need, but also the staff packed each one with a lot of love.

For more information on Project 16:49, visit Project1649.org