Every student returning to school this year will need new supplies to support their studies. Many area students are struggling to obtain those supplies. COVID-19 is only exacerbating the economic challenges which these students and their families face, potentially jeopardizing their future learning and achievement. In response, Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey (Federation), has expanded its annual Supplies for Success program, an initiative providing backpacks to children in need, to provide these students with a fresh start for the coming school year.
Supplies for Success will distribute 1,800 new backpacks to elementary school students. Each backpack is filled with a comprehensive set of back-to-school supplies, and this year hand sanitizer and a mask were added. Federation worked with 16 partner organizations and schools and is continuing its relationship with these partner organizations throughout the year with food drives and other donations.
Every summer, Federation hosts community members at their offices to assemble backpacks in preparation for the upcoming academic year. Federation originally planned to do this outdoors in socially distant tents but pivoted to a different volunteer format due to the rise in COVID-19 cases this summer.
Community members, young and old, volunteered to do “pop-ups” in the comfort of their own homes with neighbors, friends or family they felt comfortable being with. The families picked up the supplies and then dropped off the filled backpacks at Federation center. With 26 total pop-ups, Supplies for Success assembled 1800 backpacks, a 20% increase from last year.
In honor of her bat mitzvah, Sophie Cohen, whose family is a longtime supporter of Federation, volunteered to host a popup in her backyard. On August 7, Cohen invited her friends to pack backpacks outside, staying socially distanced and masked. The girls’ parents watched the group’s efficient assembly line pack 48 backpacks in 40 minutes.
Cohen reflected on how meaningful this opportunity was for her and her friends. “We really had a great time together while supporting this amazing cause to help children in need,” she said.
Oasis is just one of the 16 beneficiary organizations receiving these backpacks. A non-profit organization based in Paterson, Oasis strives to break the cycle of poverty for women and children through its various programs designed to educate, clothe, feed and empower women and children.
Jim Walsh, the director of community outreach at Oasis, emphasized how it has been “a blessing” to work with Federation throughout their six-year partnership. With the coronavirus pandemic putting many out of work, Oasis’ community is especially struggling with food insecurity and housing. This year, Oasis received 200 backpacks, “taking the burden of affording school supplies off of parents and giving kids a smile.”
Supplies for Success has greatly benefited families and children over the years. Sari Gross, Federation’s volunteer center chairperson, described how in five years, Federation’s Supplies for Success program grew from delivering 500 backpacks to 1,800 backpacks. “A big part of the volunteer resource center at Federation,” Gross explained, “is engaging the community and building relationships among each of us between our hearts and hands.”
When COVID-19 emerged, Federation knew the needs in the community were only going to grow and that they needed to figure out a way to continue to provide backpacks to kids and adhere to the necessary social distancing guidelines.
Gross described how “generous” the community has been in both donations and in service, making this year “better than we could have ever hoped for.” “Every child should have a backpack and a smile on their face when they start the school year. We can’t control a lot in the world, but we can make sure that every child who needs a backpack gets one.”
By Olivia Butler
