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AUGUST 3, 2018 BOSTON, MA—Hundreds of volunteers gathered Friday morning to fill 40,000 backpacks for children up to age 12 across Massachusetts in low-income or homeless families.
The nonprofit organization Cradles to Crayons hosted its 12th annual “Ready for School Backpack-A-Thon” at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury.
The “high-energy” event brought more than 700 volunteers together to fill backpacks with school supplies like pencils, folders, and notebooks, Cradles to Crayons chief executive Lynn Margherio said in a phone interview.
“Volunteers are backpacking fast and furious,” Margherio said, who was watching the event. “From the second they walk into the venue, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to filling those backpacks.”
Volunteers line up, assembly line-style. Some stuff backpacks, others take empty packaging materials away from the assembly area, and still others collect the correct number of backpacks for Cradles to Crayons’ partner agencies to pick up and deliver to the kids, she said.
The organization has partnerships with more than 300 social service agencies across the state, Margherio said, ranging from public school systems to domestic violence shelters.
Some of the agencies place special orders for “kidpacks” that also include clothes and toys, Margherio said.
The event Friday will fill 40,000 backpacks, but in total the organization will distribute 60,000. A previous event with Staples filled 20,000 backpacks, Margherio said.
According to the organization’s website, 268,185 children under the age of 12 in Massachusetts live in low-income or homeless families. A majority of teachers across the country also use personal funds to buy supplies for their students, Margherio said.
“This kind of effort is helping fulfill a very real and tangible need,” she said. “And this is something we as a community can do. We can be there for all kids.”
At the end of the event, the volunteers will get a lunch provided by the organization.
An awards ceremony will follow, where volunteers will receive “Golden Pencil Awards,” like “Rookie of the Year,” “Dressed for Success,” and the “Backpack Boogie Award,” Margherio said.
To the children who will get the backpacks, it’s “something that’s more than just the item itself,” she said. “It creates a sense of being ready to enter the school year, which boosts their self-esteem and excitement to be ready for success.”