Demand Grows for Salvation Army Back-to-School Backpack Programs

Ahead of the back-to-school season, numerous Salvation Army ministry units across Canada are running backpack programs to ensure all students have the supplies they need for school.

Some Salvation Army locations that run back-to-school initiatives are anticipating a rise in the number of participants this year.

The Salvation Army in Halifax delivered more than 800 backpacks filled with school supplies last year. Major Jennifer Hale of the Halifax Centre of Hope believes the number will be higher this year due to the rising cost of living.

“Overall, we are finding that people just need a little bit of extra support this year.”

“As the cost of living increases, we want to provide that support for families and relieve some of that extra cost for them as they send their children back to school. Overall, we are finding that people just need a little bit of extra support this year. We are expecting the number of people we help to increase,” Major Hale said.

In addition, many newcomers have been welcomed to Halifax this year, which will also increase the need for support. To ensure they can meet the demand, The Centre of Hope is joining forces with other Salvation Army units within Halifax. They will also be supported by some local businesses.

“We are having a more coordinated approach this year with our units partnering together. We have added another collection day and we are hosting “Stuff the Bus” events in different parts of the city, where people will be able to come and donate backpacks and school supplies. We are partnering with our local Staples and a local bus company to support those events,” Major Hale added.

For smaller centres such as The Salvation Army Citadel/church in Carbonear, N.L., the number of participants joining the backpack program is lower; however, demand is still on the rise.

For many years, Elsie Rowe has been the coordinator of the backpack program in Carbonear. When the back-to-school season approaches, she promotes the backpack program to guests of the Citadel. Like Major Hale, Elsie is also predicting an increase in families signing up for the program due to the high cost of living.

Thankfully the backpack program allows families to free up some expenses.

“When families come to pick up the, they usually say ’you don’t realize how much this means to me.’ By us supplying the bookbags and other items, they can use the money they saved to provide other things such as clothing and footwear for their children to go back to school,” Elsie said.

The members of the community have also done their part to support the backpack program. The church’s congregation has donated several supplies that will be used in the program.

“By us supplying the bookbags and other items, they can use the money they saved to provide other things such as clothing and footwear for their children to go back to school.”

Additionally, Elsie shared that Leah Chafe, who is a junior member of the church, collected donations and later used the proceeds to shop for school supplies with the help of her grandmother. The supplies bought were generously donated to the backpack program.

Despite the growing demand, for Elsie what matters is to be able to help and make sure the children are happy.

“I’ve always had a heart for children—making sure they are happy. That’s the big thing. They should be able to go to school with a new backpack and supplies ready to go,” Elsie added.

By Juan Romero