Special to the Immokalee Bulletin
Lipman Family Farms – North America’s largest open field tomato grower – recently hosted a “Run for Backpacks” 5K and Junior Fun Run to raise money for its annual backpack giveaway. Through sponsorships and 211 registrations, the event raised more than $25,000, which will be used to purchase 1,300 backpacks filled with school supplies for local students.

“Our ‘Run for Backpacks’ 5K is my favorite event of the year because it helps us give back in such a meaningful way to children and families right here in our community,” said Jaime Weisinger, community relations director for Lipman and board chairman for Lipman Family Foundation. “Encouraging education and healthy lifestyles is part of our core here at Lipman, and we hope to serve even more children in the years to come.” Backpacks will be distributed at Lipman’s annual giveaway event on Aug. 5 to help ensure that local children have the tools they need to prepare for the school year. More than 25 local organizations sponsored the event, including Capitol City Fruit, Norwalk, IA, Suncoast Credit Union, Intergro, Howard Fertilizer, Insurance Co of America, Gargiulo Farms, DSD Homes, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., Baker Hostetler Law Firm, Coconut Ford in Estero and Morgan Stanley. For more information about Lipman, visit www.LipmanFamilyFarms.com.