With the first day of classes less than a month away, many Arizona families are already hunting for back to school supplies. But for children in foster care, those essentials aren’t always guaranteed.
That’s why Arizona Helping Hands is working to fill about 4,500 backpacks in the next few weeks.
The nonprofit organization is the largest provider of essential items for Arizona foster families.
Volunteers are gathering at the main building at 32nd Street and Thunderbird Road just about every day, filling backpacks with pencil boxes, rulers and other items. When they’re finished, thousands of Arizona foster kids will get to pick out a backpack for the year ahead.
Bethany Eggleston, vice president of development and marketing, said they’ve done this for about 11 years, but this time, the backpacks will be even more accessible.
“What we realized is that if a child’s caregiver does not have an ability to drive all the way here, they’re not going to get the things they need," she said. "So this year, we’re launching a mobile unit.”
The mobile unit will make 12 additional stops across the state from July 13 through the first week of August, so foster families in those areas can pick up supplies.
"There can be a big stigma, being a foster kid," Eggleston said. "So if we can remove that stress, so that they can walk into that first day of school, feeling like them, that’s what we’re looking for."
Stephanie Stewart is president of the Russ Lyon foundation, which one of the sponsors for the back to school drive at Arizona Helping Hands for the second year in a row.
"Last year we were able to help the kids and the parents pick out the backpacks, she said. "It was just really fun to work with the families and be able to interact with them."
