Little Miss Flint Just Helped 1,000 Local Kids Get New School Supplies

Amariyanna Copeny is on a mission. Affectionately known as ‘Mari,’ Little Miss Flint partnered with the Pack Your Back organization for a school supply distribution in Flint, Michigan on Sunday. The 10-year-old’s mission was simple, “I wanted to make sure kids got the best start possible to the school year and for their parents to not have to worry about having to buy supplies,” she said. Little Miss Flint started the #PackYourBackChallenge last year on Twitter and was able to fill 100 backpacks with vital school supplies. This year, she saw 10 times that amount this year and raised nearly $10,000 online. More than 1,000 backpacks were given out to every student that attended the event. Students and residents of Flint, Michigan still face potential long-term public health issues due to the contamination of its water supply in April 2014. Founded by Galen Miller and other students at Central Michigan University, this is Pack Your Back’s second major school supply distribution. The organization sprang into action after visiting Flint during the water crisis and decided to help. “We saw the need that was in the city at the time during the water crisis for water, but we also saw how it was having an impact on students,” Miller said. Little Miss Flint’s mission is clear. “I’m a Flint kid that wants to help all the other Flint kids.”