The Salvation Army helps local children get ready for school

Caption: From left-to-right, Marleeka Sisco, 13, Jeraiah Sisco, 9, and Jessiah Sisco, 12, pose with some of their new back-to-school supplies, picked up during annual distribution at Halifax Community and Family Services on Wednesday.

The Salvation Army handed out 150 backpacks full of school supplies to children from low-income families at its Community and Family Services location in Halifax on Wednesday.

The children, who were from the Halifax and Spryfield areas, received a backpack full of supplies to start the school year. The backpacks included pencils, pens, glue, loose leaf, scribblers, binders, a lunch bag and more. New this year, each child also received a new pair of sneakers for the upcoming school year as well.

Families applied in advance to receive a backpack for any child from primary to Grade 6. Kristine Cameron, Season Programs & Volunteer Coordinator at Halifax Community and Family Services, says that while there is always a need for school supplies, today’s event helps equip many children with the tools they will need to start the school year.

“Back-to-school time is pretty tight on any budget,” Cameron says. “We’re hearing that it can cost between $300-$400 per child to get them ready for school, and no matter what your income is that can be expensive, but especially when you’re on a limited budget.

“Normally we spend a lot of money on supplies, but this year we a few groups make donations of supplies, so with the money that was raised we were able to go and buy sneakers, something that we’ve wanted to do for years. We still have more ideas to help with all of those back-to-school expenses, like being able to offer haircuts or expand the clothing we can offer. You can’t provide everything, but to be able to help with all of the bigger costs would be great.”

In addition to handing out the back-to-school supplies, Wednesday also featured a barbecue, snacks, racks of clothes available for the children and plenty of socializing, turning a run-of-the-mill distribution into a fun morning.

“One thing that we’ve tried to focus on the past couple of years is to turn away from the stigma of, ‘I have to go for some assistance,’ to making it into a fun event and something that people look forward to coming for. I think we’re doing a better job of that,” Cameron says.

The back to school program at Halifax Community and Family Services is made possible by the work of volunteer Linda Elliott. Ms. Elliott launched the program herself seven years ago and partnered with The Salvation Army four years ago. The amount of funds raised determines how many backpacks are available. In the event’s first year, she was able to round up 12 backpacks and it has grown ever since. This year’s total of 150 represents a 50 per cent increase on last year.

“It is just fantastic,” Elliott says. “This was the dream. This is what I saw in Year 1, when I started out with 12 bags. The Parents were just blown away today because there was so much here in addition to the backpacks.”

The program is supported by a number of donors and partners including the Capital Inter-District Soccer Association, Staples and Marsh Canada, who all donated supplies. Krystal Forbes at Zellers Bayers Lake also stepped forward, assisting with the cost of the sneakers.

Elliott says that the rising cost of supplies makes it a costly venture. Donations for the back to school program are accepted year-round. Interested donors can contact Community and Family Services Halifax at (902) 422-1598.

To view an album of photos from this year’s distribution, CLICK HERE to visit our Flickr page.