Catholic Community Services hosts 'Backpack Bonanza 2006'

Intermountain Catholic

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Knights of Columbus from St. Vincent de Paul Parish unload 250 fully supplied backpacks into the arms of Catholic Community Services of Utah staff and volunteers. IC photos by Barbara S. Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — When 9-year-old Bronwyn Stockton of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Sandy, learned there were children starting school who not only didn’t have backpacks, they didn’t have any school supplies to put in them, she went to work. By the time she was finished shopping, she’d fully stocked a bright pink backpack with all kinds of pencils, pens, erasers, notebooks, and crayons, mostly pink of course. Her backpack gift became one of more than 600 donated to Catholic Community Services of Utah’s Backpack Bonanza 2006 campaign.

Individuals, organizations, and businesses donated hundreds of backpacks and the school supplies to fill them Aug. 18.

Liz Olsen of the Department of Workforce Services created flyers and drop-off points at two Workforce Services offices, then stood back as 40 backpacks and $300 to purchase school supplies rolled in.

At St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Holladay, the Knights of Columbus not only filled 250 backpacks with everything students would need, but they also brought a $1,000 donation from Weight Watchers to further bolster CCS’ back to school effort.

Surrounded by boxes of backpack, binders, pencils, notebooks, glue sticks, crayons, markers, and pencil pouches, Gina Alvarez, assistant development director for CCS and coordinator of the project, said the number of backpacks and the amount of supplies donated far outpaced what she’d hoped for. "All of these backpacks and supplies will go to our clients through our case managers in every program," she said. "People have been more than generous."