As the new school year approaches, thousands of school kids in
Hollister are flooding the stores, grabbing as many glue sticks,
crayons and notebooks as they can hold. While those student are
nervous about the first day jitters, the more than 80 homeless
children in Hollister are worried about even having the proper
supplies to do their work.
As the new school year approaches, thousands of school kids in Hollister are flooding the stores, grabbing as many glue sticks, crayons and notebooks as they can hold. While those student are nervous about the first day jitters, the more than 80 homeless children in Hollister are worried about even having the proper supplies to do their work.
“A lot of these children have to deal with special circumstances like hunger and fatigue, along with trying to stay in school,” said Diane Ortiz of the Hollister School District. “We really want to try and make sure they have equal access to education.”
HSD is organizing a school supply drive called the “Backpack Project.” The district’s goal is to raise community awareness, and gather school supplies and backpacks for homeless and needy children in the community. Because many homeless families are constantly moving from shelter to shelter, roughly 23 percent of homeless children drop out of school nationwide, and Ortiz, who is organizing the project, wants to see that statistic diminished in Hollister.
“When you have 80 children living in a shelter in a small community, there is obviously a problem,” she said. “Our goal is to reduce the barriers for these students and their families and let them know the schools support them. This is not something we can cross our fingers and try to ignore.”
The goal is to have 50 backpacks, stuffed with pencils, crayons, notebooks and other school supplies ready to go by the beginning of the school year.
A few cash donations have already come in, but there is no state or federal grant funding for the project, so they’re counting on the community to help out.
“I think it’s good for us to care for those who are less fortunate,” HSD At-Risk Advocate Connie Childers said. “With the economy the way it is right now, there are many people that once had good paying jobs, and are now having a hard time making ends meet.”
When the school year does begin, HSD hopes to continue supporting students in need by providing help with free lunches and after school programs. HSD plans to work with staff at each of the different school sites, training them to be more aware and sensitive of these students’ feelings.
“It’s our first year doing this so it’s all kind of on a trial basis, but once we can identify the students who need help, we can offer them assistance,” Ortiz said.
Project organizers have been giving presentations to families living in the Community Services Workforce Development shelter, and two local nonprofits, Moms and Kids and the Marley Holte Community Assistance Program Inc., donated cash to buy supplies.
Marley Holte has been trying for months to open a homeless shelter in Hollister. He said these kids deserve to have the same kind of education and childhood experiences as anyone else.
“To me, it’s something they should have just like any other school kid,” he said. “And it makes them feel good about themselves.”
For more information about the project or to contribute call Connie Childers at 831-630-6327 or e-mail [email protected].
