I would rate Back at You 100 stars if I could. Back at You started out by donating 20 backpacks the first year and has grown massively since. Kathy is a great leader with an amazing vision and knows how to plan and execute goals as a business. I have had the privilege of volunteering during the annual backpack distribution over the last couple of years, and it is amazing to see the impact that Back at You has on the community. The backpacks + supplies that are donated are extremely well-thought-out and the operation is run like clockwork by Kathy and the help of her passionate and dedicated volunteers. As a volunteer, it is also a great educational experience because Kathy takes the time to explain the mission and the impact each item has through the lens of someone without a home. If you are looking for a nonprofit to sponsor or volunteer with, Back at You is a fantastic choice!!
Kathy's passion for Back@You and caring for our homeless neighbors is contagious. Hardly a day goes by when she is not directly helping someone or planning how to raise funds/awareness for this cause. Every dollar of her fundraising efforts - as well as a lot of her own money - is used to help the un-housed community. Her face lights up and she jumps into action when asked to discuss Back@You. If anyone is looking for an organization to contribute time, talent and/or treasures towards, they should definitely look into Back@You. You won't be sorry....
Amazing leadership focused on an underserved community. Lots of opportunities to volunteer and attend entertaining fundraising events.
I serve as the Executive Director Restoration House and have been a proud to be a partner with Back@You for two years. The level of compassion, love and servitude from them to our homeless friends is uncanny and special. Because of their dedication we have been able to love on our homeless community and supply dozens upon dozens of backpacks to homeless youth on the streets. Their is nobody else in St. Louis doing the unique kind of mission that Back@You is doing, and they are now inspiring others to pick up the mantle and get involved! Thank you Back@You!
I am a founding board member at BACK@YOU. With several years of experience supporting a wide variety of nonprofits, I feel confident in saying that BACK@YOU is one of the best run (especially for its size!) nonprofits I have seen. BACK@YOU has received universal praise from volunteers and, most importantly, the communities we serve. BACK@YOU is led by Kathy Acre, who is among the most dynamic and dedicated nonprofit presidents I have encountered. Her passion for serving this community is both obvious and contagious. No one who encounters Kathy or BACK@YOU can leave the experience uninspired. Truly an exceptional model of what a small nonprofit can be and do.
Kathy Acre is relentless in her efforts to make a positive impact in the lives of our homeless neighbors. Wheter she is planning benefits to raise funds to put towards purchasing the “Citypack”, backpacks, (specifically made for homeless folks), collecting the items to fill these great bags, or working alongside other like minded organizations that support the St. Louis homeless population, it is apparent that this is a person who cares deeply about the value of all people. It’s been an amazing experience to work along side Kathy over the last several years .... she truly is a force of nature when it comes to helping our marginalized families and showing them they matter !!!
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I've recently had the chance to meet Kathy Acre and learn about her non-profit, BACK@YOU. Within the course of a year , Kathy has gained great momentum. Starting out by filling and handing out just 20 backpacks she purchased inexpensively, to handing out over 200, "specially designed backpacks", this year. She CAREFULLY fills these packs with essentials for life on the streets. That obviously didn't feel like enough, so Kathy makes sure that each pack is given out by a volunteer and comes with a handmade scarf to show these folks that they matter. Kathy Acre's desire to help the homeless in this small, but very important way is contagious! I HiGHLY recommend getting involved with this effort.
Homelessness is such an often overlooked population in all of our cities. St. Louis is so blessed to have Backatyou. It's founder Kathy Acre is nothing short of an angel. She works so hard and cares so deeply about these folks. They receive items that are practical and meet their basic needs. Especially in the cold weather, handmade crocheted scarfs, hand warmers! Kathy thinks of everything!
I honestly can't think of a more deserving non-profit to work with. I know there are many. Backatyou is a gift of love to those who desperately need it.
We received backpacks for the first time in the fall of 2016. They have been invaluable for our homeless youth, as often they find themselves homeless with nothing but the clothes on their back. The contents are well thought out and the backpacks are durable and large. Our youth are excited about the contents and space the backpack provides. We are looking forward to working with the organization in the future.
It is amazing what one person can accomplish.
From using spare change saved throughout the year to buy socks and gloves for our homeless neighbors, to distributing 20 backpacks, then 200 backpacks in 2015 and in 2016, 400 backpacks were distributed!
And these are not just ordinary backpacks……..the backpacks were specially designed by CityPak for those who live on the streets and then Back@You fills them to the brim with many essentials, including a handmade scarf.
Back@You is a young non-profit organization and I have been there since the beginning. I have helped fill and distribute the backpacks and always leave with more than I gave.
~Debra McMillen
Kathy222 02/02/2017
You have been part of BACK@YOU since before we even had a name! So grateful for your support, love, and generosity!
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It is amazing what one caring person can do. Kathy Acre and BackatYou have a passion to help the homeless and it is contagious. She tunneled that passion and put together 200 backpacks filled with essentials for the homeless. My family and I were fortunate enough to be there to help hand them out this past Saturday. She introduced herself to every backpack recipient and then one by one each volunteer became a buddy and helped pick out their backpack which included a handmade scarf. Check out BackatYou and consider helping out our homeless friends. You won’t be disappointed.
I've been crocheting scarves for Back@You for over a year now...it has been incredibly rewarding to be a part of an organization that has taken a "boots on the ground" approach to homelessness in St. Louis.
Kathy222 02/02/2017
Thank you for your kind words and your support! It is amazing what a scarf made with love can do to show someone they matter, and someone cares. Thank you for being one of those people who makes that happen!
Wonderful organization. I have never met a more passionate advocate for the homeless than Back@you's founder Kathy
I am honored to know Kathy Acre, the founder of Back@You. Her devotion to helping the homeless folks in St Louis is amazing.
Thank you Kathy. For your selfless love
I contacted Kathy after reading about Back@YOU in the paper. I am a librarian from the St Louis County Lindsey and host 2 groups that knit and crochet once a month. We are working at making 400 scarves for this group and the backpacks they provide for the homeless of St Louis. Our ladies have made over 200 scarves and hope to meet our goal to help this group of individuals in need. Thanks to Kathy and all those who help!
Donna Davis
Circulation Assistant, SLCL
I admit to knowing the founder of this nonprofit well. She is an amazing force of nature and I hold her and her goals for Back@You in the highest regard. Plus my mom's knitting habit is helping a great cause!
"Be the change you want to see in the world." Well, Kathy Acre is the Change!!! She is changing lives in St. Louis one backpack at a time! It has been an incredible experience to witness her passion and dedication first-hand as she works to assist the homeless. She doesn't have homes to give away to them but she has one huge heart with a lot of warm, loving, and caring space, along with an army of helpers who are determined to spread her mission. I am very happy I came across her organization while searching on-line and now I feel blessed to be a supporter and volunteer. She makes the street a warmer place to spend the night for those who all they have is a backpack filled with essentials and Kathy's love! Kathy has started something amazing! Supporting Back@You and helping it grow will allow her to continue changing lives for the better!
This is an amazing story of one woman's effort to help the homeless. A year ago, Kathy Acre set out to help 20 homeless neighbors in Saint Louis by providing essentials for living life on the streets. She began by asking one homeless man what his greatest daily needs were. From that conversation, Back@You has grown into an organization that has impacted the lives of more than 200 homeless folks this year. Kathy's passion and vision has inspired many of us. People from across the country have taken part in this effort by supplying handmade scarves and hats, as well as socks, hoodies, non-perishable snack foods, and personal care items. She has brought together people from all over the Saint Louis metro area to share in this opportunity to serve the homeless in our area.
I learned about Back@You in Summer, 2015. Kathy has taken her passion and her compassion, showing us what determination can accomplish. She shows honor and dignity to the less fortunate and reminds us not to judge others. She is seeking to impact lives with a practical approach while ensuring those on the street feel they have support and care. To increase her impact tenfold in one year is unheard of but it shows what Kathy has been able to do by being consistent in her efforts.
Because of one woman's passion and caring concern for the homeless and the volunteers that have been inspired by her passion there are many homeless people on the streets of St. Louis who have new backpacks filled with items that make their life's somewhat easier. Thank you Kathy.
Kathy is such an inspiration in her passion for helping the homeless. Her drive to help those in need is amazing. She lights up when she talks about her charity work. I'm sure she will continue with much success in her journey to make a difference in many lives. Kathy, you are blessing to this community. Keep up the good work!
What a blessing it was to work with Kathy and the gang of Back At You this year. Friends and I helped make some of the 200 hand crocheted or knitted scarves that were given out with the backpacks. Just seeing the smiles on the faces of homeless recipients will make me smile until next year when we do it all again! What a wonderful charity.
Kathy is an amazing organizer and philanthropist. Her kindness and devotion to making a difference in the lives of the homeless is inspiring and I am proud to know her and support her good works through Back@You.
Having known about Back At You for only a short time, I decided to check them out. What I found was not what I expected. Not a big organization, but a small non-profit run basically by Kathy Acre and her husband Kevin. Last year they were able to put together and distribute about twenty backpacks to help people living on the streets of St. Louis. This year I decided to get involved. Not having much money I contributed some socks and helped out carrying items to the truck and stuffing backpacks. That day I realized that a little bit of money or labor when added to the efforts of others can truly make a difference. On October 10th over 200 backpacks were distributed to people in need, young and old alike. I was one of about fifty volunteers that unloaded the truck and help guide the recipients through the process of selecting their packs and selecting sweatshirts in their size & color. Each pack was topped off with a hand knit muffler (made by folks here and in other states) so the person could find a pack that called out to them. It was a really amazing day! I was truly moved and glad I attended. Through the tireless efforts of Kevin and Kathy I saw what is possible.
I have never met Kathy personally, but I feel like I have known her for years! I have spent the past year "behind the scenes" helping her with donations and getting Girl Scouts and our grade schools to help in donations. You couldn't ask for a more trustworthy, hard working individual to help the homeless! I am so proud of what she has accomplished in the past year. I am more than happy to help her meet her goal of 400 backpacks next year. She puts the homeless 1st in her life. St. Louis is very fortunate to have someone so dedicated for such a worthy cause.
Back@You is a great organization! Kathy has personally developed relationships with the homeless in St. Louis to ensure that the funds are used in the most useful ways. The impact that this organization has had is immeasurable. The gratitude of the recipients of her backpacks was evident In their smiles, tears and hugs. Children and adults both benefit from Back@You.