Education

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A big yellow school bus stuffed with backpacks and school supplies stopped at the Bruce Power Visitors' Centre Monday morning to accept 14 large boxes full of more supplies, donated by Bruce Power employees.

It was all part of the "Stuff the Bus" campaign in support of the United Way of Bruce Grey's annual backpack program.

Executive director Francesca Dobbyn said the bus was parked in Kincardine and Saugeen Shores last week. The supplies raised there, plus the donations from the Bruce Nuclear site, will outfit about 450 backpacks, while the monetary donations will help outfit hundreds of more backpacks.

The program ensures that local elementary and secondary students in low-income families have the items they require for school, said Dobbyn. Besides backpacks, the supplies include lunch bags, binders, pens and pencils, paper, crayons, markers, and so on.

The Kincardine "Stuff the Bus" campaign raised $350, plus supplies to fill about 20 to 30 backpacks. In Saugeen Shores, $780 was raised, plus supplies to fill about 30 to 40 backpacks. The items donated at Bruce Power will outfit about 200 backpacks, said Dobbyn.

"We're so grateful for the community's generosity," she said, "and we're glad to get the high-school-sized (larger) backpacks."

She said the United Way has a list of 1,877 students who need backpacks this year. That number could surpass 2,000 by the time school starts, she added.

"We knew the demand would be up," said Dobbyn. "The Grey-Bruce Children's Alliance did a study of children and youth and found that seven per cent in Bruce and Grey counties live in poverty. That's about 2,400 children."

She said the low-income cutoff point occurs when families are spending more than 63 per cent of their income on basic necessities, such as food and shelter.

To receive a backpack from United Way, the students must be referred by an agency, such as the Children's Aid Society or Big Brothers and Big Sisters, or by individuals who call in and identify a student in need, said Dobbyn. People on Ontario Works and Ontario Disability can call the 211 information number to make their requests.

"This is basically a band-aid solution," said Dobbyn. "It solves the immediate problem for parents in getting the school supplies they need for their children. Long-term, if you make school a positive experience, young people will stay in school and they have a better chance at avoiding poverty through education."

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Thursday, August 19, 2010