While the start of a new school year generally reminds people of their high school days or the excitement of greeting friends not seen all summer, for the very youngest students it’s a whole new world.
That’s why 102 brand-new backpacks, stuffed full of pens, pencils, folders and other basic supplies, are such a thrill for the preschoolers in Head Start and other early-learning programs run by Seattle’s Denise Louie Education Center.
Many of these children are growing up homeless or in refugee, immigrant and low-income families, and they are accustomed to getting by with secondhand everything. So, imagine their joy at the sight of a pile of glittering new backpacks, piled up in the office at Denise Louie. They’ll be doled out on the first day of school, Sept. 8.
“A backpack is small, but it means so much to the kids — it’s a confidence thing,” said Jennifer Urrabazo Nichols, enrollment and outreach coordinator at Denise Louie. “I can already see them excited about all the different colors.”
This year is the first that the longtime childcare provider has joined Project Cool, the backpack-giveaway program coordinated by the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, which receives funding for these supplies through The Seattle Times’ annual School Supplies Drive.
Every summer, generous readers contribute what they can to the drive. And the newspaper divides those donations three ways: between the Coalition on Homelessness, YWCA Seattle-King-Snohomish, and on the Eastside, Hopelink.
“It’s such a blessing,” said Urrabazo Nichols. “Generally, we have to write to a corporation for this kind of stuff, and that’s fine. But it’s not the same. This is from the community, from the heart, with backpacks stuffed by volunteers. And the families are so very thankful.”
The Times’ School Supplies Drive continues through Labor Day.
How to help: The School Supplies Drive is part of The Seattle Times Fund For Those in Need, a registered 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. The easiest way to donate is online at st.news/schoolsupplies. Checks may also be sent to: The Seattle Times School Supplies Drive, P.O. Box C-11025, Seattle, WA 98111; email questions to ffn@seattletimes.com.
