Identifying the Need
Most of us cannot begin to imagine what life would be like living at the Homeless Shelter, in a car, or in a friend’s garage. It would be even worse if you were an innocent child.
With the assistance of several other Lions Clubs, other service clubs, Wal-Mart, and friends and family, each year the Almaden Super Lions Club fill thousands of backpacks with school supplies for underprivileged children. These new backpacks go to homeless children and children whose families cannot afford new school supplies.
Thank you for the backpack and school supplies. We really like them and appreciate this great gift. Thank you very much!!!!
~ Abby, Rachel & Isaiah
This project is about much more than simply giving these kids paper and pencils. Classroom management and current teaching methodologies really depend on the notion that each student will have his or her own backpack, in which students are taught to store their newly collected homework assignments in their backpacks to assure their safe arrival at home for an evening of homework. The teacher will place correspondence to the parents, and parents use the packs to return correspondence and forms. They can also be used to carry lunch to school!
Studies are showing that kids who don’t have a backpack to play these roles in their academic success are not as successful as their backpacked peers. This may be because homework and teacher’s notes stuffed into jeans pocket may arrive home that afternoon in illegible condition, if at all. Similarly, a student might actually complete some homework one evening, but truly lose it on the way to school the next morning, finding himself in hot water for failing to turn in the assignment.
Thank you for the 40 backpacks, filled with school supplies that have been provided to our students. Your generous donation insures that we maintain a clear message about being prepared for student success. Our community is grateful to count on such wonderful support from local agencies like yours.
~ Ms. Herrera, Principal, Seven Trees School
How it Happens
Every summer, dozens of Lions volunteers from different Lions Clubs, other area organizations, and community volunteers get together for a couple of hours of stuffing backpacks with school supplies, assembly-line style. These backpacks filled with school supplies selected on the advice of teachers and school administrators. The supplies filling the backpacks vary a little from year to year, but always include the basics such as pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, erasers, notebooks, notebook paper, rulers, folders, pencil boxes, and more
We appreciate all that you’ve done for us.
~ Love, Jennifer, Abigail, Emily
Once filled, the backpacks are distributed to the homeless program Families First, a foster families program, and schools districts throughout the greater San Jose area, including the Union, San Jose Unified and Franklin-McKinley School Districts.
Wal-Mart, Almaden Super Lions Club, and many more Lions Clubs donate money towards the backpacks for the children.
On behalf of the parents, students and staff of Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School, I would like to thank you for your kind and generous donation of all the backpacks and school supplies. Most of our families are underprivileged and will be very happy to receive them. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and all the hard work you do to make other lives a little better.
~ Linda Barker, Principal, Kennedy School
