Back to school packs for those in need

Grant, Neighbourhood Small Grant

A Neighbourhood Small Grant recipient reported: Each year, my sister and I put together backpacks filled with school supplies and donate them to our former elementary school, Hellings Elementary, in North Delta, in hopes that it can be passed on to a student in need. With the ongoing pandemic, we recognize that many families in Delta may be experiencing financial hardships during this difficult time, therefore we decided to make our Back(pack) to School initiative bigger this year and include other elementary schools in our catchment.

This summer, we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Delta Foundation with a Neighbourhood Small Grant from funds through Vancouver Foundation. The Neighbourhood Small Grant enabled us to put together many backpacks for students in the Delta School District. We were able to put together 12 backpacks (7 primary, 5 intermediate) filled with a complete set of essential school supplies, water bottles, lunch kits and an inspiring note.

We then reached out to numerous elementary schools around Delta and ended up donating the backpacks to those who responded to us on a first come first serve basis; Hellings Elementary, Gibson Elementary and McCloskey Elementary.

Throughout this process, my favourite moment was putting the backpacks together and bringing back the memories of when my sister and I attended elementary school and looked forward to gathering our supplies in preparation for the brand new school year.

The most rewarding part of this entire process is knowing that we were able to help students whose families may be struggling, especially during the ongoing pandemic. Education is something that is close to our hearts and we hope to expand this project in the upcoming years in efforts to help many more families in our community with the transition to Back to School.

A big thank you to the Delta Foundation, and Vancouver Foundation, for the Neighbourhood Small Grant which allowed us to carry out this project on a larger scale, which would not have been possible without your support!