Sometimes a New Backpack Can Make All the Difference

[The following was submitted by Samaritan House.]

Alejandra, 9, and her brother Andres, 4, arrived at Samaritan House last week to receive backpacks filled with supplies to help them start their school year. 

The children were two of 222 youth to benefit from Samaritan House’s annual back-to-school backpack giveaway. Client families who wished to receive free backpacks for their children signed up for the distribution earlier in the summer and began to pick up their packs last week.

Back-to-school donations were accepted throughout the summer from individual donors, businesses, and community service organizations in the area. The largest donations this season were received from donation drives conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers in San Francisco and Western Hills Church in San Mateo.

Samaritan House met and exceeded its goal for collecting 200 backpacks with supplies and began distributing the supplies last week. About 22 more backpacks were available this year compared with last year thanks to community donations. For the first time, Samaritan House accepted online donations through an Amazon wish list. This allowed individuals to pay for an item that Samaritan House requested and have it shipped directly to the organization.

“Back-to-school is such an exciting time for these families, but many of our clients are faced with a challenge in providing these additional supplies when their budgets are already tight. By providing our client families with these backpacks and school supplies, we are equipping these children with the supplies they need to have a successful school year,” said Robyn Fischer, Client Service Supervisor. 

About Samaritan House:

Since 1974, Samaritan House has been helping families regain self-sufficiency. Working with city and county governments, civic, religious, and school organizations, and over 2,000 volunteers, we provide bilingual counseling and case management, food, clothing for children, healthcare, rental assistance, shelter for the homeless, worker resources, and holiday assistance - all free of charge. www.samaritanhousesanmateo.org