Danville Steps Up To Stuff 'Backpacks Of Hope' For Child Patients: How To Help

DANVILLE, CA — Danville retailers and volunteers are stepping up to help a local nonprofit meet its goal of stuffing at least 400 backpacks for child patients with a rare autoimmune disease this year.

Alamo-based Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation will kick off its fourth-annual fundraising campaign to raise money for its Backpacks of Hope patient support program this weekend. Backpacks are stuffed with personal and comfort items and medical supplies.

"These Backpacks of Hope provide a personal connection to the countless families in this unique fight," said Nephrotic Syndrome Foundation president and founder Andi Callaway in a statement.

The foundation supports children across the country with nephrotic syndrome, which occurs when a person's kidneys are damaged and causes an excess of protein to be excreted into urine, according to the National Kidney Foundation. It can cause swelling, an increase of fat in the blood, blood pressure issues and more.

"There is no cure, and treatments are extremely limited and consist primarily of transplant and cancer medications with extreme and often permanent side effects," the foundation said in a statement.

Community Presbyterian Church Danville will host a backpack-stuffing event Friday and Saturday, which is expected to draw more than 100 volunteers to stuff backpacks for 200 children. Volunteers may sign up online.

A handful of San Ramon Valley retailers will participate in the foundation's Backpacks of Hope fundraising campaign, including B. Allan Jewelers, Beyond Active, Bliss Danville, Elisa Wen, Eye for Pretty, Games Unlimited and StarCycle Danville.

The foundation hopes its fundraising campaign will raise enough money to stuff 60 more backpacks and deliver another 200 by the year's end, it said. If that goal is met, the foundation will have served more than 400 patient families this year.

In all, the foundation has provided patient families with more than 800 backpacks.