Orange County Program Aims to Accelerate Backpack Giveaway

A staff member helps a student put on his backpack at STAR Eco Station Tutoring & Enrichment Center in Culver City, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

An Orange County nonprofit that donates backpacks to needy children says it aims to nearly double its contributions for the upcoming school year.

Community Action Partnership (CAP OC) announced that it hopes to “provide supplies to more students than ever” by giving away 5,000 backpacks to low-income students for the 2021–2022 school year.

“No student should go to school worrying that they don’t have the supplies they need,” CAP OC said in a statement. “We want to ensure that they step back into school prepared to learn.”

In past years, the goal of the nonprofit’s “Backpacks for Success” program has been to provide 2,000 to 3,000 fully supplied backpacks to children in need. But as students from low-income families prepare to transition back to in-person learning this fall, CAP OC aims to increase its contributions to meet growing demand.

“The impacts of the pandemic are lasting, and many students in Orange County may not have the supplies they need for school,” the nonprofit said, adding that the past year was “unpredictable,” but students and youth have “continued to show their resiliency” by first adapting to virtual learning and then preparing to go back to school in person.

Backpacks for Success has supported K–12 students in Orange County for 15 years, providing backpacks equipped with basic school supplies, including paper, pens, notebooks, and folders.

CAP OC noted that over 37,000 families with children are living below the poverty line in California. In addition, about $1 billion worth of unpaid energy bills has left some parents struggling to provide necessary materials for school.

One $20 donation can provide a student with a backpack that is fully stocked. To donate and support the nonprofit’s goal, visit: Capoc.org/backpacks/