Salvation Army Gets Students Ready for School

This year Salvation Army programming across the province helped over 3,000 students and their families get ready to go back to school.  From Vancouver Island to the North 18 Ministry Unit locations in British Columbia provided school supplies for students this year. These donations allowed school-aged children to pick their own backpacks filled with school supplies. Some locations had back to school fairs where haircuts were provided free of charge along with fun activities like photos with superheroes and bouncy castles.

“We know how important education is,” says Jonathan Evans of The Salvation Army. “By helping with essential supplies kids can start their school year off right and we can help relieve the stress some parents feel about back to school costs.”

Check out this video from the Ridge Meadows Back to School Fair

View the photo gallery from the Boundless Vancouver Back to School Fair

With the growing cost of living it is difficult for low income families to afford back to school costs. We know that being prepared for class can make an incredible difference for students and their ability to learn. Studies have shown that when a student has their own school supplies not only do their grades improve but so does their classroom behaviour as they become more excited about school and learning. By providing essential supplies we can also take the pressure off teachers who often go into their own pockets for the basics like pencils, paper, and pens for their students.

This also helps create an equal playing field for those coming from low-income families compared to their peers, lowering the barrier these students would otherwise also have to face. By eliminating these challenges we’re helping this next generation worry less about pencils and paper so they can instead focus on becoming the best student they can be.

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