These are just some of the exclamations of joy we heard at backpack distribution this year. But one little boy especially captured our attention.
Chris* dragged his feet as he walked into Beverly Bootstraps with his mom. He wanted to be at the playground with his friends and told us he didn’t want to go back to school.
Then he saw the backpacks.
As volunteers brought Chris to the elementary backpack table, his mood began to change. He picked up a black Adidas backpack, smiled at a Pokémon backpack, then he spotted it: a Minecraft backpack. His face lit up!
Chris told us his friend had a Minecraft backpack, and he had always wanted one, too. His mom never imagined they would have the opportunity to choose one of their own. But thanks to donors like you, he did.
Ten minutes later, Chris was beaming. Suddenly, going back to school didn’t seem so bad. He had a backpack he loved and felt like he could fit right in with his friends.
This is what your generosity makes possible.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of our Back-to-School Backpack Program. Once again, our community stepped up, providing over 950 (and counting) local children in Beverly, Manchester, Essex, Hamilton, and Wenham with backpacks filled with essential school supplies.
Because of you, children started school with new crayons, notebooks, pencils, headphones, and more, along with something just as important: confidence.
We protect the privacy of our clients and their families, but we wish you could have seen Chris’s smile. It was the kind of smile that reminded us why this community comes together.
Thank you for helping local children start the school year feeling prepared, confident, and ready to learn. Help us continue creating moments like this for neighbors of all ages.
*Name changed for privacy.
