Thousands of PPS students get free backpacks
September 11, 2009
Beach PK-8 students Sasha Carter (left) and Kelvin Martinez-Gomez show their excitement about new backpacks, courtesy of Schoolhouse Supplies and local businesses.
Back-to-school shopping isn’t cheap, but backpack donations from Schoolhouse Supplies and partners ease the burden on families and earn plenty of smiles from students.
As part of its annual Tools for Schools program,
Schoolhouse Supplies pairs local businesses with schools to provide every student a backpack in selected PPS schools.
This year, 18 community partners distributed 8,424 backpacks to students at 16 PPS schools (and one Salem-area school). Schoolhouse Supplies targets
Title I schools, which serve relatively high numbers of low-income families.
“The backpacks mean that kids, teachers and parents don’t need to stress about supplies. It takes away some of the anxiety about going back to school,” says David Roy, director of community involvement for Knowledge Learning Corp., which provided backpacks to students at Beach PK-8 School.
Beach student Ta'Ryah Brown smiles after donning her backpack.
Most students took hold of their backpacks the first week of school at assemblies. Kindergarten students usually received theirs separately, including at Rigler K-8 School, where kindergarten teachers delivered backpacks to families' homes before school began.
Large piles of backpacks sat on the gym floor during a Sept. 11 assembly at Beach PK-8 School, the final distribution event for this school year. Students eyed the backpacks as they sat down; after listening to the principal and Roy speak, KLC employees – including a former Beach student – distributed about 500 backpacks, with 40 extra for students who transfer in during the school year.
Schoolhouse Supplies hopes to serve all 25 PPS Title I schools next year. In addition to Tools for Schools, the organization operates a volunteer-run Free Store for PPS teachers, which is stocked with supplies donated by the community.
