North Star Elementary School 3B Brae's Brown Bags packing event

North Star Elementary spreading cheer

We recently wrote about North Star Elementary after visiting the school and sitting with students for a special reading night. We were impressed by their excitement about 3B Brae’s Brown Bags then, but they have kicked it up a notch and we are blown away.

The school’s STEM program had a special showcase this week. Students coded games and interactive applications inspired by 3B Brae’s Brown Bags. Amazing! We wish we could have been there to see the showcase in person! Next time!

The following day, students got together or a bag packing of 125 brown bags of healthy food for patrons of the Emmanuel Dining Room in Wilmington, Delaware. Not only did they create a wishlist of items to fill the bags, but they also colored the bags and made them extra cheerful with positive, hopeful messages!

Amanda from the North Star PTA reached out to share some photos. We are beyond grateful to all of you at North Star!

If you’re inspired by the work of 3B Brae’s Brown Bags and want to make a difference in your community, we’d love to hear from you! Whether you’re interested in organizing a bag-packing event at your school, inviting Braeden to speak at your organization, or exploring other ways to get involved, we’re here to help. Simply fill out our contact form on the website, and a member of our team will reach out to discuss how we can work together. Your support can help us expand our impact and bring hope to those in need. Don’t hesitate – to take the first step towards making a positive change today by contacting 3B Brae’s Brown Bags!

North Star Elementary “Bears that Care”

Last night, Braeden visited North Star Elementary School during their Smores Stories event. He was invited to be a special guest reader! Brae sat in front of a group of young students and read “Just One Pebble. One Boy’s Quest to End Hunger.” (See note.) Brae received a few great questions from students listening to the story including wanting to know what we pack in our bags and how much it costs. We always love to hear their thoughts about 3B and see their gears spinning about how they can get involved!

Braeden reading to a group of young students at North Star Elementary

The mascot for North Star Elementary is a polar bear and the school is embracing this fully with their upcoming service event, “Bears that Care.” At this event, in December, the students will be packing 125 of Brae’s Brown Bags to be delivered to the Emmanuel Dining Room. The dining room is a soup kitchen in Wilmington, Delaware that we hold near and dear to our hearts. The students will be decorating the bags with messages of hope along with their librarian.

To hype the kids up the school is also putting forth an initiative to be extra kind and caring the two weeks leading to the event. Any kids caught being kind or caring will get a “bear card” that can be put in a raffle basket and the winners will get prizes. We provided some 3B swag to the school to include as prizes for their students.

We absolutely love what North Star Elementary is doing. It’s so important to teach our kiddos about public service and compassion. The messages in the book are meant to encourage young people to think about how they can make a difference in the world around them. These are lessons that will benefit them for their whole life! Many thanks to Amanda Moseley with the PTA for reaching out to invite us to be a part of the programming!

A group of students at North Star Elementary in a photo with Braeden Mannering.

Quick Note: The book, Just One Pebble, was written by Dianna Wilson Sirkovsky and illustrated by Sara Casilda. We have been asked where the money for the book goes. 3B does not get any of the proceeds from the book. However, we feel that the story is an important one to share. It is written and illustrated in a way that provides inspiration to children and lets them know that they can be changemakers no matter their age. It has also recently won awards for social justice. We’re so proud of how far and wide the story has reached.

Giving to 3B

There are many ways to donate to 3B. You can start a fundraiser on Facebook, provide us with in-kind donations like handwarmers, fruit snacks, pretzels, etc. or donate via our PayPal Giving page.

We also have a 3B Brae’s Brown Bags online store where you can buy merch!