Children in Sunnyvale are starting their school year off right with new backpacks full of essential supplies.
Sunnyvale Community Services’ annual backpack day event saw Sunnyvale students collect hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies on Aug. 6.
Bags were given out to 653 families, with another 100 backpacks set to go out at a later date.
“Today is a celebration, thanking the community for making sure we have enough backpacks for every single one of the children that were registered,” said Jay Pecot, director of major gifts at SCS. “It’s the community coming together to take care of our neighbors.”
Smiles were abundant as volunteers helped children and their families pick out the perfect backpack for each child, based on grade level. The San Jose Sharks’ mascot, Sharkie, even made an appearance to wish the children well as they begin a new school year.
For K-2 students, backpacks with solid colors as well as much-loved characters such as Ninja Turtles and Tinkerbell were available. Bags were full of markers, colored pencils, glue sticks and paper, among other essentials.
High school-level backpacks contained college ruled notebooks and paper, several binders, presentation materials, and new calculators from Texas Instruments. The company donated 650 calculators to the backpack event, a move which Vicki Tung, director of public affairs, said was a “no-brainer.”
“For TI, education is a huge priority for us, so being able to work with the families and being able to help families here and the students kind of kick off the school year with the materials they need is great,” she said. “We’re excited about giving back.”
SanDisk donated USB drives for the backpacks and other companies such as LinkedIn, Google and Yahoo contributed to the backpacks, whether through donations or volunteer hours.
“It’s the fact that we’re coming together as a community, working to make sure our kids succeed, it brings everyone together,” said Pecot. “It’s…asking ‘how can I help you help your family succeed?”
Glenda Oligan, a parent of three children, said that the event makes a world of difference.
“I try to explain to them how hard it is for me to buy these things in the store and things like that,” she said. “As a mother, it’s really helpful to me because I’m a single mom. Everybody is happy today, especially my kids.”
Oligan’s son Ralph picked out a flashy Ninja Turtles backpack that he admired as it sat in the shopping cart.
According to a recent statistic released by the Sunnyvale School District, 41 percent of children in the district qualify for free or reduced price lunch. This is down from 51 percent, but not because families are making more money.
“People are being forced out of the area. It’s so hard to stay here,” said Pecot. “Think about folks here that are near poverty line, which is $23,000: How do they do it? The answer is they cut back on things that other people would call essentials: their children’s education and food.”
Sunnyvale Community Services then steps in to help.
“It’s a worry that they can check off their list. Because, that difference between what they earn and what it costs to live here, there are choices every day,” said Pecot. “And that’s one choice they won’t have to make, to sacrifice their kids’ education.”
Sunnyvale School District students return to school Aug. 18 and 19.
