Annual CCS school supplies drive

Friday, Aug. 07, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — Imagine not being able to buy basic school supplies for your children.

This situation is faced by many parents in Utah; Backpack Bonanza is a once-a-year effort by Catholic Community Services and members of the community that helps to ensure that many children who otherwise would be lacking have the necessary supplies for the upcoming school year.

“More than 140,000 children in Utah live at the poverty line, meaning 16.2 percent of parents are worried about feeding and sheltering their children, leaving backpacks and school supplies at the bottom of their lists,” said Danielle Stamos, CCS director of public relations and marketing.

More than 10 years ago, CCS began its drive to provide back-to-school supplies to children in need.

“Since then, we have helped tens of thousands of children through this program. Last year, CCS provided over 4,000 backpacks with school supplies,” Stamos said.

The program benefits children in the Salt Lake area as well as in northern Utah.

Last year in the Ogden area more than 2,300 backpacks were distributed, said Marcie Valdez, director of CCS of Northern Utah. “We had close to 1,700 children who came through CCS directly for the assistance.” 

 The remaining backpacks were shared with some of CCS’ partners in Weber County such as Your Community Connection Domestic Violence Shelter, Youth Impact, YMCA, and some low-income schools.

“All of our families are low-income; we do have a lot of single moms and families experiencing temporary crisis,” said Valdez.

Those in need aren’t always easy to identify.

“You never know who could be in need of a helping hand – your neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member. Many times a family will experience the loss of a job or an illness that will leave them temporarily in need of assistance,” said Stamos. “If we want every child to succeed, we must give them the tools necessary. By providing every low-income, homeless, and refugee child a backpack filled with school supplies we are giving them the tools for a brighter future.”

This year, according to CCS statistics, 1 in 5 Utah children face food insecurity, “so backpacks and school supplies should be the least of their worries,” Stamos said.

“Our event ensures that all children have the opportunity to start school feeling supported and having the tools necessary for a successful year,” Valdez added.

Donations of school supplies will be accepted until Aug. 10 at any CCS location. Needed supplies include binders, glue sticks, rulers, markers, colored pencils, crayons, backpacks, pencils, notebooks and pens. 

Monetary donations also are accepted. 

To sign up school-age children who may qualify to receive a backpack, contact CCS at 801-363-7710 before Aug. 12. 

“Children will be assigned to their nearest distribution center in Salt Lake or northern Utah,” said Stamos.

Drop-off locations for backpacks and other school supplies follow.

CCS St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall, 437 West 200 South Salt Lake City, 801-363-7710

CCS Main Office, 745 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, 801-977-9119

CCS Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank, 2504 F Ave., Ogden, 801-394-5944