NASHUA, NH – Summer is coming to a close. Labor Day is just around the corner, and the rituals of back-to-school are in full swing. For most kids that means new shoes, outfits, and school supplies purchased in family shopping outings. Unfortunately for many Nashua area children with challenging family circumstances, those things are out of reach.
One ritual that has occurred every year since 1995 is the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter (NSKS) BACKPACKS for BACK-TO-SCHOOL program that has filled the gap for thousands of Nashua students from kindergarten to 12th graders.
The NSKS program provides new backpacks and school supplies to start the new year with. They collect the backpacks and supplies and distribute them for free to local low-income families, to families that stay at their shelters, to food pantry clients, and to those who come to the soup kitchen for meals.
They consult with local schools to ensure that the backpacks are age-appropriate and enable students to return to school as well supplied as their peers who come from more fortunate circumstances.
The project is made possible by a combination of grants, in-kind contributions, and monetary donations from individuals, local companies, and faith-based and civic groups. Teams of volunteers have been sourcing gathering supplies and sorting and packing the backpacks for many weeks in preparation for the new school.
This year’s grant allowed them to make a bulk purchase of Lands End backpacks at a steep discount stretching their resources further. They try to buy high-quality backpacks that will hold up for the kids. NSKS Director of Community Relations Carol Weeks happily reported the investment in quality paid off. “Last year we only had two zipper failures reported and only a few minor strap problems,” she said.
The backpacks for the older students cost in the $80 to $90 range each and the younger student bags cost in the $35 to $45 range. Items like scientific calculators are provided to students in advanced math classes and thumb drives for those who need them to back up school work.
On Tuesday Distribution Day was held in the gymnasium of the Mount Pleasant elementary school. A team of about a dozen NSKS staff and two dozen volunteers handed out over 1,600 backpacks filled with school supplies.
The school gym had rows of tables with stacks of packed backs on display. Volunteers escorted each family group to help guide them through their selections. For some kids the selection was easy for others they agonized over the range of selection. None went home disappointed.
Mark Overington a third-year volunteer for the backpack program summed up the experience, the culmination of all the work simply
“The best part of this day is watching kids picking out their own backpacks.”
