Scott Van Daele, Distributive Services Manager at Chum has been helping out with the program for six years. Through the program, Van Daele said that Chum will be giving out a total of 1400 backpacks filled with school supplies.
700 will be given to students K-5 and 700 will be given to students 6-12.
“We try to get the tools to the kids that need it,” Van Daele said. “If we can help them just a little bit by giving them that extra set of markers or crayons, it works for us and it works for them.”
This year, Van Daele said Chum exceeded their goal in terms of donations to provide the Backpack Program.
“The donations that had come in monetarily were incredible to a point where I think everybody is sort of shocked and amazed,” Van Daele said. “Literally, there was $25,000 that came in to buy backpacks, which, if we didn’t ask for money for the next three years, this would cover us for the next three years. If you do 1400 times three years, that’s a lot of backpacks.”
Van Daele said Chum was happy about this, given the unprecedented times.
“Just going off of food shelf numbers in general, which is what we are doing on a regular basis—July, we were up almost 300% in visits, so I would assume there is probably a huge need for this,” Van Daele said.
The backpacks will be given away on August 25th and August 27th from 10:00am-12:00pm outside Chum. The public is asked to practice social distancing and wear masks.
The Northland Foundation also donated 1400 child size masks to be given away during the distribution.
