Back-to-School Drive: Help Children in Need

A picture of Major Lori and Danny Pinksen with Mary Halbert and the backpacks they have collected so far
by The Salvation Army in Canada
Categories: Divisional News
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By: June Li

In the blink of an eye, summer vacation is over and school is just around the corner. Going back to school should be an exciting time, but the experience for children from low-income families may be just the opposite. Purchasing school supplies isn’t a luxury all families can afford. Sadly, it can bring embarrassment and can often affect a child’s school participation and academic achievement.

Back-to-School Drive

The Salvation Army in Richmond Hill wants to ensure that every child in the community will have the supplies they need to be successful in the upcoming school year. This year’s annual back-to-school drive is well underway, and they need your help! Though the act of receiving new school supplies may seem small, the impact is enormous. “Being able to take new school supplies to class like all the other kids will help them with their self-esteem and confidence,” explains Shade Ajiboye, Community Relations Representative for The Salvation Army Richmond Hill Community Church, “It gives them a sense of belonging.”

Since the back-to-school drive started in 2011, over 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies have been given to children in the Richmond Hill-Vaughan region. And the response from the community has been received with gratitude, “It gives them and their families hope for a brighter tomorrow and this is made possible because of the generosity of members of our community,” says Ajiboye.

A Brighter Future

These backpacks represent more than just new school supplies; moreover, they provide motivation for success and hope for a brighter future. Education is essential to break the cycle of poverty and with your help, hundreds of children will be able to take another step in that direction.

Help children start the school year on the right foot this year. If you would like to support The Salvation Army Richmond Hill Community Church’s Back-to-school drive, you can drop off items at 55 Newkirk Road in Richmond Hill, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. For more information about the program, please call 905-737-0496.

Supplies needed include backpacks, math sets, duo tangs, scissors, subject dividers, pencil sharpeners, binders, pens, pencils, colouring pencils, calculators, lunch bags and any other school-related items.