United Way launches Operation BackPack

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

As the school year is right around the corner, United Way Durham is once again helping students in need of school supplies.

Whether students will be learning from home or at school, they all need supplies, which is why United Way Durham is hosting Operation BackPack again this year.

According to United Way Durham’s Chief Possibility Officer and Vice-President Robert Howard, Operation BackPack puts 2,000 backpacks “on the backs of kids.”

He believes part of the strength of Operation BackPack is its ability to take some of the financial burden off families who he believes might have more problems on their plate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Howard, this is an anti-poverty issue and one of the issues facing those in poverty is access to education.

“Part of that is education preparedness, and part of that is school supplies,” says Howard. “Sometimes it’s as simple as a backpack and some paper, pens and supplies that you or I might take for granted.”

He says the average family pays more than $150 for school supplies every year, and for a family sitting on the “economic margins,” that can be a burden.
“It’s not really just a question of sticking a backpack in a family’s hands for a child, or two or three children, it’s a question of relieving some of the angst and anxiety that parents must feel, and that is exacerbated by these times,” he says.

There’s enough anxiety going around right now, says Howard, due to schools opening and the safety of children and teachers attending.

“So if you can remove from parents some of the anxiety around the cost, then it’s a great thing that we can do,” he says.

The backpacks are broken into three categories: elementary, primary, and secondary.

“The need is different at each level. At a lot of backpack programs they just throw some stuff in there,” he says. “The volunteers that do our program, I think, do a wonderful job of gearing the stuff to their target.”

Bags will contain personal hygiene items in addition to paper, pens, pencils, and more.

He also notes the backpacks kids are receiving are “ordinary backpacks.”

“We’ve been very adamant about the idea that there’s no logos about the program… there should never be any stigma,” he says. “Kid’s going to school today have enough problems on their hands. They don’t need to carry a backpack with somebody’s logo on it that says, ‘This is a noble charitable endeavour.’”

Those who wish to contribute to Operation BackPack can visit support.unitedwaydr.com/operationbackpack.