The backpack project complements the Mary’s Meals school breakfast programme. It provides children with items that help to support their education. Club members collect items from the list provided by Mary’s Meals and then these are put together into backpacks for school. Items include school stationery, school uniform, flip flops or sandals, a ball, a spoon, towel, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.
Last year two independent schools in Bristol merged with the result that large quantities of pens, pencils and other school stationery items along with new and nearly new school uniform needed a good home. We were able to provide a good home by recycling useable backpacks, stationery items, dresses, jumpers, shorts and tops for the Mary’s Meals project.
30 completed backpacks were then sent to Mary’s Meals for onward distribution
We also sent 5 large sacks/boxes of extra items for use in the schools. These sacks/boxes of extras contained a large quantity of pens, lead pencils and coloured pencils as well as school uniform. Sue Donavan, Soroptimist and Mary’s Meals Ambassador, came to a Business Meeting and showed slides of backpacks being transported and distributed. We saw pictures of many happy children who had received backpacks. The items help them to make the most of their education. Good educational opportunities make such a difference to a child’s future life chances.