It’s back-to-school time for kids across the country. Unfortunately, for homeless children, this can be a particularly difficult time. Homelessness not only negatively impacts children physically and emotionally, it also has a devastating impact on their education.
Volunteers for America, one of Guideposts trusted sponsors, is working to make sure that doesn’t happen. Since 2004, Volunteers of America has been serving thousands of homeless children across the country with Operation Backpack: an initiative that provides kids with new backpacks full of grade-appropriate school supplies like paper, notebooks, calculators, pencils and more.
This year, the New York branch of VOA has a goal of filling 20,000 backpacks, with only 1,500 left to go, and have raised nearly $250,000 for supplies. This initiative not only eases the burden of homeless parents, but helps children get excited about going back to school, feeling confident and equipped to learn.
Check out this sweet thank you message from children who benefitted from Operation Backpack in 2015:
