By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Richmond Hill’s Backpacks of Love receives donation from the Dewitt Tilton Group for Christmas dinner boxes
backpacks of love donation
Featured from left to right with the check: Jonathan Herrington (Dewitt Tilton Group Superintendent), Kim Thomas (Dewitt Tilton Group Director of Operations), Chris Tilton (Dewitt Tilton Group President), Pastor Steve Lane (New Beginnings Community Church Senior Pastor), Aaron Cradduck (Dewitt Tilton Group Superintendent), Baleigh Kelly (Dewitt Tilton Group Office Manager). Photo provided.

The Backpacks of Love program, a nonprofit organization committed to eliminating hunger in school-age boys and girls in Bryan County received extra support this Christmas season from a local commercial construction company, the Dewitt Tilton Group. 

For the fourth consecutive year, Dewitt Tilton Group provided financial support for Christmas dinner packages. And this year, in an effort to combat the effects of inflation and recent economic concerns, the construction company doubled its donation.

The Dewitt Tilton Group President Chris Tilton presented the $2,000 check to Pastor Steve Lane at New Beginnings Community Church, alongside Dewitt Tilton Group team members Kim Thomas, Baleigh Kelly, Aaron Cradduck and Jonathan Herrington. The team then volunteered to assemble the Christmas dinner packages.

“We really appreciate the generosity of the Dewitt Tilton Group and others who aid our mission,” said Lane. “With increased food prices, the extra financial assistance is very helpful.”


The volunteers packed the Christmas dinner boxes with ham or turkey, as well as shelf-stable items like canned fruits and vegetables for a complete and nutritious meal.

“Our whole team feels compelled to support our community, especially during the Christmas season,” said Chris Tilton, the Dewitt Tilton Group President. “We’ve been volunteering with Backpacks of Love for four years now, and it’s an organization we are proud to help. With the rising cost of food for families across America, we feel called to double our gift to this wonderful cause.”

Founded in 2013, Backpacks of Love sends at-risk and potentially hungry schoolchildren of Bryan County home with packages of nutritious food each Friday and before extended school breaks. A partnership between United Way of the Coastal Empire and the New Beginnings Community Church provides funding to procure food from Second Harvest Food Bank. Donations from individuals, organizations and businesses like the Dewitt Tilton Group strengthen the effort.


For more information on the program or to make a donation, visit richmondhill.church/backpacks.

Sign up for our E-Newsletters