WHITE PLAINS, NY — Returning to school will be much easier for over 1,000 students in Westchester County this week thanks to a hugely successful “Backpacks to School” campaign spearheaded by The Sharing Shelf of Family Services of Westchester (FSW), Inc. Throughout the summer, The Sharing Shelf has been raising funds, collecting supplies and organizing and packing backpacks to ensure that students from pre-school through high school have the pencils, notebooks, binders, and folders they need for the new school year. FSW worked closely with the Westchester County Department of Social Services to ensure that the backpacks were distributed to those students most in need.
“Starting school with the proper supplies puts a child in the mindset to succeed right from the very first day of class,” said County Executive Robert P. Astorino. “I want to thank The Sharing Shelf of FSW as well as all the volunteers, companies and individuals who worked so hard to once again get critical supplies to hundreds of children in Westchester County.”
“Every year we are amazed by the outpouring of support for this effort,” said Susan B. Wayne, President and CEO of FSW. “And thanks to this support, each year we have been able to serve more and more students in need.” The campaign raised over $30,000 this year and garnered the support of both individuals and corporations, including Swiss Re, MVP Health, Dechert LLP, Wells Fargo, Traub, Lieberman, Strauss and Shrewsbury, LLP, and IBM. “This seems to be a cause that really resonates throughout the community,” said Deborah Blatt, Director of The Sharing Shelf of FSW. “We are so grateful to all of our donors as well as to the incredible team of volunteers who helped pack these backpacks and distribute them throughout the County.” Students in over 20 school districts received backpacks this year.
The Sharing Shelf’s warehouse was a busy place in late August as volunteers—students, parents, corporate employees and families–worked in assembly line fashion to ensure that the backpacks were filled with age appropriate school supplies including crayons and colored pencils for preschoolers; composition books and rulers for elementary students; binders, pencil cases, protractors and compasses for middle schoolers; and notebooks, index cards, flash drives and calculators for high school students. “This was a true community effort, neighbors helping neighbors, and exemplifies exactly what we had hoped to accomplish with the creation of the Sharing Shelf,” added Ms. Blatt.