The United Way of Bruce Grey is seeing an increased demand for its back-to-school Backpack Program.
So far, they’ve distributed 2,377 backpacks throughout Grey and Bruce counties, which is just over the 2,361 distributed last year.
The Backpack Program was started in 2005, with the goal of providing school supplies and backpacks to children and youth who may not have access to them.
Executive Director Francesca Dobbyn says that they’re also expecting that their work isn’t done for this year’s campaign, as they do get calls from schools once the new school year begins.
“We’ll probably get a lot of calls from the schools next week from families who weren’t able to connect with the program,” says Dobbyn when she was a guest on The Open Line on 560 CFOS this week. “We also supply the three domestic violence shelters in the region, because you never know what children are coming in.”
She says that when she was out shopping for supplies for the backpacks that were distributed so far this year, a local teacher had thanked her in person for the program, because it helps provide a level playing field for all kids, regardless of their family’s financial situation.
“She said, ‘You took the bullying out of my classroom. And thank you, and thank you to your donors who support the program.’ What it meant was every child that came into class was equal.”
In a media release from the United Way, Dobbyn says that while they’re able to distribute so many backpacks in this year’s campaign because of the unwavering support of the community, it may put next year’s campaign at risk in the event they aren’t able to meet the demand this year.
The program provides backpacks for four main age groups: primary, intermediate, and senior for grade school children, and then they have the high school version.
The primary backpacks typically are worth $40 in value, while the high school backpacks are worth approximately $130. The cost not only covers the price of the supplies but also the cost of the backpack itself.
