The Salvation Army Partners to Give Students the Best First Day

Students in London will again start class off right thanks to Best First Day.

The partnership between The Salvation Army London Community and Family Services, Thames Valley Education Foundation and United Way Elgin Middlesex is in its fifth year of distributing school supplies and backpacks to students across the region.

Each year thousands of backpacks and supplies are provided discreetly to anyone in need to ensure students have everything required to help them be successful in class.

“Best First Day ensures that all high school and elementary school students start off on the right foot and have all the school supplies they need to get them ready for learning,” says Sheryl Rooth, Community Outreach Manager with The Salvation Army London Community and Family Services.

“This is a really great partnership that allows us to share resources. Each organization does their own little part, but it all goes toward the same goal, and we can maximize those donations.”

The Salvation Army in London distributes all the stuffed backpacks to schools across the Thames Valley District School Board, including rural and Indigenous communities. Parents can contact their school principal to request a backpack for their child.

Items in need include backpacks, markers, pencil crayons, lunch bags, pencils, pencil cases, reusable water bottles, notebooks, scientific calculators, binders and paper. In 2022, nearly 3,500 backpacks loaded with supplies were handed out to low-income families in London and the surrounding area.

School supplies and backpacks can be donated until September 1st at drop off locations that include The Salvation Army Hillcrest Church at 310 Vesta Road. A full list of drop off locations can be found at www.unitedwayem.ca/best-first-day. Financial donations can also be made online.

The Salvation Army is thankful for the innovative partnership with the Thames Valley Education Foundation and the United Way Elgin Middlesex to provide the best possible start for students heading back to class.