Waterloo Regional Police were dropping off backpacks Monday morning for children in need to use for back to school.
It is all part of the first-ever Backpack Challenge that started last month and encourages emergency service workers such as police, fire, and paramedics, to purchase a new backpack, lunch bag, or $25 gift card for the campaign.
“The amount of donations we received exceeded all of our expectations and speaks volumes about the kindness of our community,” says Chief of Police Bryan Larkin.
Other members of the community were also able to contribute to the campaign.
Donations were delivered to the local Family & Children Services Foundation for their School Assistance Program.
Employees estimate around 1500 backpacks have been donated so far.
“To be able to provide families with all the tools they need for a successful school year, it really means so much to the children and their families,” explains Tracy Jasmins, coordinator at Family and Children services of Waterloo Region.
Last year, 600 backpacks were distributed to local children.
