Continuing the mission the place of worship was founded on last winter, members of Dowagiac’s The Bridge church are looking to find another way to connect with struggling families living in its backyard.

The local church will be giving away 120 free backpacks to children during its monthly movie night, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

The bags will be filled with pencils, erasers and notebooks to help prepare children for when they return to school next month, said Jennifer Jackson, a leader with the Dowagiac church.

“It’s the first time we’re doing this, so we’re not really sure how many kids will come out,” Jackson said. “Hopefully it’s 120, because that’s the amount of backpacks we have on hand.”

To pick up one of the bags, children or adults will only need to show up and fill out a registration form, Jackson said.

The church, which opened last December at the former home of Harvest Assembly of God on Fairview Drive, received the backpacks and supplies from their parent organization, St. Joseph’s Blue Roof Church. Volunteers with Blue Roof have handed out free bags to children in Benton Harbor for several years, making it a natural fit for The Bridge to adapt the same giveaway in Dowagiac, Jackson said.

“All or most of [the bags] are already there, so we’re about ready to go,” Jackson said. “We’re just hoping for some nice weather on Friday.”

After receiving a bag, visitors are invited to watch the movie playing inside the church. Free popcorn and hotdogs will be served as well, Jackson said.

“We’re looking forward to blessing and getting to know some new people in the community,” Jackson said.