Operation Round Up Impact: Boomerang Backpacks

Learn more about KREMC’s Operation Round Up Program, and the organizations it benefits, like Boomerang Backpacks. Concern for community is one of KREMC’s core principles, and Operation Round Up is one way we give back to our local community.

What is Operation Round Up?

Operation Round Up is a voluntary program in which KREMC members pool their resources together to help those in need. The concept is simple: each month, KREMC members who have volunteered for the program allow us to round up their bill to the next dollar. For example, if a member has an electric bill of $53.86, that bill would be rounded up to $54.00, with 14 cents being donated to the program. If a member has multiple accounts, they can decide if they would like each account rounded up or just one. Each participating member, on average, contributes approximately $6.00 a year.

The money is then deposited into the Kosciusko REMC Operation Round Up fund, held at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation. A voluntary advisory committee, comprised of KREMC members, meets regularly to review applications for Operation Round Up grants, and to make grant recommendations.

What is Boomerang Backpacks?

Boomerang Backpacks is a non-profit organization that takes aim at fighting childhood hunger in elementary students throughout Northeast Indiana. The program is a weekend food distribution operation that provides food-insecure elementary students with a bag filled with food (2 breakfast items & a protein-rich meal) for the weekend. The average cost to feed one child every weekend for the course of the school year is approximately $110, which can be a challenging financial burden for those in lower income families.

What is the organization’s mission?

The mission of Boomerang Backpacks is to provide weekend nourishment to elementary students struggling with food insecurities while educating others about service projects and philanthropy. They aim to nourish low-income elementary students on weekends by providing bags full of food for free and to inspire high school students to experience community service through project-based learning and student internships. Additionally, whenever possible, older kids or students from the functional skills classes from the same school district will help with packing, inventory & delivering of the bags each week.

What is the story behind this organization?

Board President Mark Cockroft founded Boomerang Backpacks in 2008 for East Noble elementary students. Today, the program feeds over 4,000 elementary students in over 45 different schools spanning 9 counties in NE Indiana.

How does Boomerang Backpacks impact kids?

The impact on kids is both immediate and long-lasting. Students who receive Boomerang Backpacks come to school on Mondays more focused, energized, and ready to learn. Teachers report improvements in classroom behavior, attendance, and academic engagement. For many children, the bags provide not just food, but a sense of consistency, care, and dignity. By meeting this essential need, we help level the playing field for kids facing hunger and set them up for better emotional, physical, and academic outcomes.

Success stories

This testimony from a mom of a participating Boomerang Backpacks student shows firsthand how big an impact the program has on kids.

"I am the single parent of two daughters. I want to thank you for the Boomerang Backpacks. The girls love cereal and cereal is too expensive for me to buy for them. Again, thank you for this program that helps me feed my girls!"

School administrators and professionals see the important impact the program has on students as well. One local administrator shares their experience.

"As a long-time administrator in multiple school districts, I have seen the life-changing benefits of the Boomerang Backpacks program. Many families have become reliant on the existence of this program. Boomerang not only helps to ensure that students have essential nutrition available, it also helps to offset some of the financial burden to families."

What are some challenges this organization is facing?

As food prices continue to increase, it becomes more difficult to maintain consistent quality and quantity of meals within the existing budget. Funding remains a constant challenge as they work to meet growing demand while striving to expand their reach to serve 100% of food-insecure students in all participating schools.

Despite these challenges, the team remains committed and resourceful. They are actively seeking new partnerships, grant opportunities, and community support to help overcome these barriers and strengthen the sustainability of the program.

How has Operation Round Up impacted the organization?

Thanks to this support, they were able to serve 913 students throughout the 2024–2025 school year, providing them with backpacks filled with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food for weekends. Over approximately 30 weeks, this totaled over 27,000 backpacks and more than 108,000 meals distributed across the county.

Operation Round Up funding helped them overcome challenges such as rising food costs and logistical demands, allowing them to ensure no student went without vital weekend nutrition. The impact goes beyond food too! Students returned to school each Monday better prepared to learn, more engaged in class, and more confident knowing their basic needs were being met. Boomerang Backpacks is deeply grateful for the partnership with Operation Round Up and the powerful difference it continues to make in the lives of children and families across Kosciusko County.

How can people in our community get involved?

There are several meaningful ways people in the community can get involved with Boomerang Backpacks and help fight childhood hunger right here in Kosciusko County.

  • Volunteer your time: Join Boomerang Backpacks to help pack bags, organize food, or assist with deliveries. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, every helping hand makes a difference.
  • Donate funds: Financial contributions are essential, as all food must be purchased to ensure consistency and quality for every participating student. Your support directly helps feed children in need each weekend.
  • Host a fundraiser: Schools, churches, businesses, and civic groups can organize fundraisers to support the cost of food and program supplies.
  • Spread the word: Help raise awareness by sharing our mission with others. Follow us on social media, invite us to speak at your organization, or bring new supporters to the cause.

To learn more or get involved, please call Boomerang Backpacks at 260-242-3428 for more details. Together, we can make sure no child in our community goes hungry over the weekend.

To learn more about Operation Round Up or to join the program as a KREMC member, go here https://kremc.com/operation-round-up.