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Over 1,500 students in Denver, Greeley, Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado, started school this week with backpacks full of essential school supplies—thanks to The Salvation Army’s “Pack-a-Backpack” campaign. Joining The Salvation Army to help meet back-to-school needs were Denver7 (ABC7 affiliate), Les Schwab Tires and EON Office Supply.
The campaign, now in its third year, has grown from 500 students to this year’s total of 1,500.
“This shows the caring hearts of our community who answer our call for help time after time,” said Intermountain Divisional Commander Lt. Colonel Daniel Starrett.
The Pack-a-Backpack campaign encourages the public to donate new school supplies to students in need to ensure that all students start the school year on the right foot.
“The kids can start school with a mind full of dreams and a backpack full of supplies,” said Tahreem Pasha-Glenn, Public Relations and Special Events Director for the division. “It’s not an exorbitant expense to buy an extra pack of pencils when shopping for your own children. But it’s magical when everyone starts thinking this way and we see our barrels start to fill up with pencils, notebooks, markers and so forth. You make a school year so much more exciting for a child who would otherwise go without.”
In addition to distributing backpacks to students in need through local corps and community centers, The Salvation Army partnered with various Denver area public schools to pinpoint and reach out to students with the greatest needs, making sure that they don’t go without.
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