The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County is gearing up for its annual community backpack initiative, with a goal of distributing a record-breaking 36,000 backpacks to children returning to school.
The Education Foundation has handed out backpacks filled with essential supplies such as notebooks, pencils, and folders for the past six years to alleviate the financial burden of purchasing school supplies for low-income families. This year, they will be distributing materials to 55 Title I schools across Palm Beach County, including JC Mitchell and Coral Sunset in Boca Raton and Orchard View and Village Academy in Delray Beach.
Widening the Scope
The backpack count has increased by 6,000 from last year’s distribution, and this will be the first year that backpacks will be handed out to middle school students thanks to a generous donation from the nonprofit Steven & Alexandera Cohen Foundation. This increase provides logistical challenges not only in the number of backpacks, but also in their content.
“A middle school student does not need crayons, glue sticks, and scotch tape,” said James Gavrilos, president of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. “They are going to need more folders, papers, pens … the menu change[s] when we go to middle schools.”
Hundreds of volunteers made up of community members, businesses, and families are expected this July to help organize and fill backpacks. For transportation, the Education Foundation hast partnered with Amazon and Good Greek Moving & Storage. It’s a community effort through and through to make what Gavrilos calls a “logistical miracle” happen.
“Palm Beach County is an amazingly philanthropic community,” said Gavrilos. “These are people who believe in the power of public education, they believe in charity and, more importantly, they want to get involved.”
The Why
Gavrilos says that the Education Foundation’s mission has never been more urgent.
“Nobody wants to talk about the fact that inflation is up,” said Gavrilos. “The reality today is there are families that must decide in the month of June, ‘Do I buy my kids school supplies or do I pay rent?’”
What motivates Gavrilos is a phone call he received years ago from a teacher at Diamond View Elementary who mentioned a student that missed two assignments in a row because “it wasn’t [their] night for the pencil.”
“This child has four brothers and sisters and every child in his family gets the pencil one night a week to do their homework,” says Gavrilos. “This is a reality.”
According to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic research, the poverty rate for children below 18 in Palm Beach County is 14.1%—nearly 35,000 children.
To ensure every child gets a chance at a proper education, the backpack initiative runs parallel to Red Apple Supplies. Located in the Education Foundation’s headquarters in Lake Worth Beach, the way it works is simple: Teachers grab a shopping cart and get whatever school supplies their students need. Educators often spend between $500 and $800 of their own money annually on classroom supplies for students in need. By visiting Red Apple, they get it all for free.
“It’s not just a pencil and a pen we are giving these kids, we are giving them hope,” said Gavrilos. “Education is the great equalizer, and by giving these kids the tools they need through backpacks, we are giving them a fighting chance.”
How to help
There are multiple ways to get involved in the Foundation’s initiative. To volunteer, start a fundraising team, or pay for a backpack (each is about $30), click here. You can also make a general donation to the Education Foundation here.
