Locals step up to help out
Church donates backpacks to help students
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Thursday, August 21, 2008 2:57 PM PDT
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| St. Paul Lutheran Church parishioners and Pastor James Aalgaard stand in front of the 165 backpacks donated by the church to the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Ontario office Monday. (From left) Peggy Hawkins, Bob Peden, Anita Montgomery, Betty Anderson, Wayne Anderson, Bill Horton, Tom Montgomery, Pastor James Aalgaard, Sylvia Wenke, Jean Peden and Rick Hamsher. |
Ontario ” As area schools prepare for the hustle and bustle of the new academic year a number of community agencies are working to make sure students greet the first bell with the essential equipment they need to learn.
Monday, the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ontario donated 165 backpacks to the Oregon Department of Human Services, situated at 186 East Lane, Ontario. These backpacks will then be distributed to Oregon and Idaho students in need.
“As the father of school-age girls I know that a pack doesn’t last more than a year,” Pastor James Aalgaard said as he stood in front of boxes containing the donations.
Sylvia Wenke, a parishioner said she worked with a Red Apple supplier in order to allow the congregation to purchase the backpacks, which cost $5 a piece.
“Everybody jumped on the bandwagon,” she said.
The St. Paul Lutheran Church has been contributing backpacks to area schools for about seven years, Aalgaard said, with its donations doubling every year for the past three years.
The backpacks will be filled with necessary school supplies and distributed to parents and students who ask for them at the DHS office, DHS Community Development Coordinator Jane Padgett said.
“We’re wanting to help people at the same time they come in, so they don’t have to make two trips with gas prices the way they are,” Padgett said.
In order to receive a backpack, a low-income parent or guardian should fill out an application at the DHS office.
“It’s for people in need,” she said. “I really want to stress that. People shouldn’t think ‘Oh, I don’t have to buy one at Walmart. I can just go across the street (to DHS).’ ”
Padgett said the need exists.
“People definitely need it,” she said Monday. “I had a family with eight kids come in today and we got them all what they needed.” DHS also gave out backpacks to more than 300 students at an Aug. 9 carnival which also included live music, face painting and snow cones. Padgett spoke about the contents of the backpacks.
“Paper and folders, crayons and markers and colored pencils, glue, whatever we get donated,” she said.
Padgett said DHS looks over the recommended school supply list for schools in Oregon and Idaho to determine common factors such as paper and glue sticks.
“We tell the parents they will have to get some of the other things,” she said. “We rarely have lunch boxes and pencil bags. Some of the high school kids need expensive calculators and flash drives. We don’t get very many of those donated.”
Padgett said DHS will also accept new and used backpacks and school supply donations, provided the contributions are in good condition.
“Gently used,” Aalgaard said. Those interested in other places to donate can also stop by Staples, situated at 125 S.E. 13th St., in Ontario.
“We’ve done it two other years,” Staples Operations Manager Ralene Lang said of the donation bin located at the front of the store by August 31.
These school supplies and bookbags, Operations Manager Ralene Lang said, will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley to be distributed to students.
