170 Marin Kids Pick Up Backpacks, School Supplies At San Rafael Event

SAN RAFAEL, CA — The Ritter Center on Wednesday helped get young learners set up for success in the coming school year, handing out backpacks filled with supplies and gift cards for new school clothes.

The center said 170 children received the backpacks, stocked with pencils, pens, notebooks, binders, and calculators, along with $100 gift cards to help buy some fresh threads for school. Organizers said they hoped the event helped take some of the stress off parents, many of whom already struggle under the burden of rising rent and grocery costs.

"A year of record-breaking rent and food prices has devastated household finances, hitting low-income families especially hard," a spokesperson for the Ritter Center said. "Education is critical to breaking the cycle of multi-generational poverty, and yet the close of school supplies has risen 23.7% in the past two years."

The San Rafael-based non-profit assists more than 2,500 people in Marin County each year and helps distribute an estimated $440,000 in nutritious food to people in need annually.