Students receive new backpacks, school supplies
Thousands of families flocked to the Prime Osborn Convention Center Aug. 3 to receive free backpacks and school supplies at the Pack the Sack II event.
Marla Montgomery brought four of her nine great-grandchildren to the event, their new backpacks filled with boxes of pencils, crayons and other supplies they’ll need for the new school year.
“For so many of us, it’s hard to go buy stuff, so this is essential, I really love it,” she said. “It’s worth standing in line for two hours.”
City Councilmember Terrance Freeman hosted the event in partnership with Walmart and ALPHA Starz, Inc. In addition to distributing 10,000 free backpacks and school supplies, this year’s event also offered free services including eye exams and haircuts.
Freeman said the event has grown significantly since he first started hosting smaller iterations of it on a neighborhood level. This year’s event aimed to double the 5,300 backpacks that were distributed last year, and Freeman said the turnout underscores the need for such an event as families prepare their children for a new school year every fall.
Freeman also considers the impact the event will have not just on families’ wallets and budgets, but on the students when they arrive in their classrooms.
“It makes me start thinking about mental health,” Freeman said. “These students, they’re self-aware and now all of a sudden, they look right, they look left, and they have the same supplies that their peers have. What does that do for their confidence? What does that do for their self-esteem, which we hope that excitement, energy carries over into their academics.”
Cassandra Farve said Pack the Sack offers some much-needed financial relief for families. “It’s just amazing that they’re able to do that and help everybody – especially people who are struggling,” she said.
