Hands Across the Bay Distributes 335 Fully Stuffed Backpacks

Tampa Bay—In Hands Across the Bay’s tenth year of providing backpacks and school supplies to the community, last week the organization distributed 335 fully stuffed backpacks to students. Hands Across the Bay also supported teachers with Blessing Bags so that the Tampa Bay community is ready for the start of this school year.

Melissa Dohme Hill, the organization’s Executive Director stated, “Our school assistance program has grown so much over the past decade, first giving out 75 filled backpacks from the Gold & Diamond Source’s conference room to now distributing filled backpacks and Blessing Bags for teachers out of our Empowerment Center! My favorite part is the joy on each child’s face when they get to pick out their favorite backpack from our selection. Second would be the grateful hugs received from the parents. Knowing that this hand-up blessing will help them in their education, be prepared at school, and less likely to be bullied or made fun of, makes it all worthwhile!”

It is truly a labor of love and worth every second to the organization’s volunteers when they know that each and every supply collected makes the difference in the life of the student who receives it. Melissa emphatically thanked and was truly grateful for what she described as, “The incredible volunteer support we received from the Hands Across the Bay’s Kindness Warriors, from donating, to counting, shopping, packing and distributing…we could not have done it without our community of selfless and committed volunteers!”

Board Member Tom Free, who helped stuff the backpacks and organize and distribute the supplies, said, “In today’s economy, programs such as Hand Across the Bay’s back-to-school backpack project has become increasingly important! Many parents are already riding the razors’ edge with their budgets. The massive increase in the cost of supplies, especially for families with multiple children, is simply undoable for many. Hands Across the Bay is stepping in to help as many families as we can. We have even been able to help teachers, who often spend their own money for classroom supplies. Every child should start the school year prepared and ready for their education!”

The backpacks contained a filled pencil pouch, a box of markers, a pack of colored pencils, a pack of post-its, expo markers, index cards, two college ruled loose leaf paper packs, two spiral notebooks, two comp notebooks, a ruler, a calculator, a binder, and six different colored folders!

It takes a village to educate all the children, and Hands Across the Bay takes access to education seriously! Hoping to inspire the community to become more compassionate, empathetic, and charitable, Hands Across the Bay will continue to fulfill their mission to positively impact the lives of as many Tampa Bay residents as possible, advocating for change, supporting other organizations, and spreading love with various acts of kindness. If you want to learn more about Hands Across the Bay or becoming a Kindness Warrior, check out the organization’s website.

If you would like to make a tax deductible charitable donation to Hands Across the Bay, you can do so at this donation link.