More than 100 volunteers were honored at the sixth annual "Closing the Last BackPack Celebration" at the Aberdeen Recreation Station Thursday, May 31.

BackPack Pals began as a program of Moore County Schools with one school and 25 children in 2005. The program was created to meet the needs of children known to have little or nothing to eat on the weekends.

With strong community support from individuals, businesses, civic clubs, organizations, churches and synagogues, BackPack Pals has more than 1,100 children on the program in 24 schools. The program is a part of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and directed by Linda Hubbard, founder and recently retired from Moore County Schools.

Honored at the celebration were: Vass Lions Emmanuel Episcopal Thrift Shop, Project Succeed, FirstHealth, Sandhills Teen Challenge, Seven Lakers, BB&T, Moore County Schools;

Valenti's Restaurant, Dugans Pub, Weichert Realtors, Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills, New Home Baptist, Brownson Presbyterian , Emmanuel Episcopal, First Baptist, Trinity AME Zion, Roseland United Methodist Church, Cameron Baptist;

Emmanuel Baptist, Highfalls United Methodist, Open Arms Community Church, Pinehurst United Methodist, St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, Community Congregational Church, First Presbyterian Church, Carthage, West End United Methodist, Smyrna United Methodist, First Baptist Carthage, Red Branch Baptist, Church, Lighthouse Assembly of God;

Cypress Presbyterian, First Baptist, Pinehurst, Turning Point Worship Center, West End United Methodist Church, St. James Lutheran Mount Pleasant Christian Church, Glendon Christian Women's Fellowship, and Seven Lakes Baptist.

Members of the Project Succeed Choir from Sandhills Community College entertained guests, and as has been a tradition, the King and Queen of BackPack Pals for the year were presented.

Alice Wade Stackhouse is the 2012 queen and Winston Miller, the 2012 king.

A new award announced for 2012 was the Humanitarian Award of the year. The inaugural award was presented to Myrtle Griffin for her commitment and loyalty to BackPack Pals.