Safeco Insurance recognizes "Community Hero"

Gillette, Wyo. (October 10, 2012) — Safeco Insurance has named Tama Clapper a Community Hero for her work with Blessings in a Backpack in Campbell County, Wyoming. The organization will receive a $5,000 donation from Safeco on behalf of both Emily Dean and Tegeler and Associates in Gillette.

Clapper was nominated for the Safeco^® Community Hero award by Emily Dean, account executive at Tegeler and Associates.

The Safeco Insurance^® Agent Giving Program is designed to recognize local heroes and nonprofit organizations that have a positive impact in education, health and safety, or civic engagement.

“Local heroes like Tama Clapper and the good work of Blessings in a Backpack can inspire all of us to make a difference, and we thank Tegeler and Associates for sharing their story with Safeco,” said Brenda Mann Harrison, manager of the Agent Giving Program for Safeco.

Blessings in a Backpack is a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit organization that provides elementary schoolchildren who are on the federal Free and Reduced Price Meal Program with a backpack of food to take home for 38 weekends during the school year.

Clapper, a mother of young children herself, brought Blessings in a Backpack to Wyoming in August 2010.  She then cultivated a group of 50 volunteers that help her ensure children in need receive backpacks full of easy-to-prepare, ready-to-eat foods, like granola bars, juice boxes, oatmeal, and macaroni and cheese.

Globally, Blessings in a Backpack currently serves nearly 59,000 students in 390 schools spread across 35 U.S. states, as well as in Canada, Colombia and Haiti.  Its reach is growing—a result that is greatly needed, considering the 20 million-plus children who are at risk of hunger in the United States alone.

Clapper’s ongoing routine for the organization includes working with her volunteers to raise money for food, partner with grocery chains, go on monthly shopping sprees, fill backpacks for the children, and make deliveries to 400 children’s homes each week. 

Vote for Clapper and you could help Blessings in a Backpack

You can help Dean do even more for Blessings in a Backpack by participating in the “Vote for your favorite Safeco Community Hero” contest.

The hero with the most votes will win a $10,000 donation from Safeco Insurance for his or her charity and the runner-up will get $5,000.

You can vote once every 24 hours until the contest ends at 10 a.m. PDT Oct. 29. Only individuals 13 and older are eligible to vote.

Vote today!

Get involved

To learn more about how you can support Blessings in a Backpack and the amazing children and families the organization helps, visit http://www.blessingsinabackpack.org/.

To vote, go to http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/296757

About Safeco Insurance

In business since 1923 and based in Seattle, Washington, Safeco sells insurance to drivers and homeowners through a network of independent agents throughout the United States.

Safeco is a Liberty Mutual Insurance company. Liberty Mutual ranks 84th on the Fortune 100 list of the largest U.S. corporations based on 2011 revenue. The company has financial strength ratings of A (Excellent) from the A.M. Best Company, A2 (Good) from Moody’s Investors Service, and A- (Strong) from Standard & Poor’s.

For more information about Safeco Insurance, go to www.Safeco.com.