CAROL SHETLER/The Luminary Oliver Doyle, along with his mother Melissa of Pennsdale, deliver backpacks for distribution to children in need at Montgomery. The twosome joined with the Montgomery High School FFA and Eagle Grange to brighten the holidays. The youngster is the founder of Oliver’s Backpacks.

Oliver’s Backpacks began with a chance meeting (although they know it was divine intervention), in September of 2018. The family was on their way to visit Oliver Doyle’s great-aunt in assisted living. Oliver had been begging for a backpack. His mother told him that since he was home schooled, he really did not need one.

“As Oliver and his brother go to their paternal grandparents for math one day a week, I decided to give in and get him a backpack. It was well after back-to-school, so there was just a bin of backpacks left,” mother Melissa said.

On a whim, they decided to go the back of the store to look and then returned to the bin. Oliver noticed a lady with a cart full of backpacks. He began talking to her as his mom looked through the backpacks.

“I was only listening enough to make sure she didn’t run off with him. I just wanted to get the backpack and go,” said Melissa.

Normally the family does errands after visiting their Aunt Judy, but this day for some reason, they decided their aunt needed a snack. The stop put the Doyle’s’ in line to meet Stacie – the lady with the cart filled with backpacks.

RUTH FRY/The Luminary Pennsdale United Methodist Church presents Oliver Doyle, of Oliver’s Backpacks, with a check to help with the cause. Above from left to right are Pastor Richard DeMarte, Oliver, Deb Muffly, and Cindy Reed.

Stacie had explained to Oliver that she was involved in a ministry handing out backpacks to less fortunate kids, as well as items to the homeless. After finding the one she was looking for, Melissa turned to the woman and said, “I will gladly purchase ten if you pick them out and meet me at the cash register.”

The offer of kindness brought the woman to tears, while Oliver questioned how children possibly could not have the things they need.

“I felt the proverbial tap on my shoulder. I know my normal routine was rerouted because we were meant to be in that store to met Stacie,” said Melissa. Eventually, Oliver took up the work on his own, and what started with ten backpacks have resulted in distributing many, many more.

Recently, Oliver added a wagon load of backpacks to the Montgomery FFA and Eagle Grange food drive for the Montgomery and Milton areas.