Hundreds of local children receive school supplies from Interfaith’s donors

Interfaith Social Services volunteer Marzie Gans, of Quincy, (right) gives a backpack to Joshua Hashorva, of Braintree (left). Volunteers distributed more than 600 backpacks to the children of Interfaith’s food pantry clients in August.

As we face a school year like none other, hundreds of local parents will have one less thing to worry about: where school supplies for their kids will come from. Over the last month, Interfaith Social Services distributed more than 600 backpacks filled with school supplies to children across the South Shore.

Interfaith, a multiservice agency in Quincy, operates a food pantry, mental health counseling center and homelessness prevention program. The food pantry also conducts several seasonal initiatives throughout the year aimed at bringing joy to children who may be growing up in difficult situations. One of those initiatives is Interfaith’s annual Backpack Drive, intended to make sure students start out the school year outfitted with the supplies they need to succeed.

“Whether they are in the classroom or learning remotely at home, every child deserves to have the tools they need for a successful school year,” said Emily Ryan, Interfaith’s Family and Children Program Manager. “We’re happy to take some of the burden of back-to-school expenses away from families that are struggling right now.”

Interfaith’s volunteers distributed more than 600 backpacks during the month of August to the children of Interfaith’s food pantry clients. The backpacks, which were donated by local businesses and individuals, are filled with notebooks, pens and pencils, markers, crayons and more.

“We’re so grateful to the individuals and businesses that were able to contribute to this program,” said Interfaith’s executive director Rick Doane. “Because of the pandemic and logistical challenges, many of our corporate partners have been unable to provide the level of support they normally can for our programs. At a time when more people than ever are reaching out for Interfaith’s help, we were worried we wouldn’t be able to meet the need. Fortunately, our supporters came out in a big way to make sure we had the supplies we needed.”

Michael McGrath, of Quincy, donated 20 backpacks with supplies to Interfaith Social Services’ Backpack Drive. Michael created his own fundraiser to pay for the backpacks, running 1 mile a day for 20 days as he gathered pledges from friends and family.

To learn more about Interfaith’s seasonal programs, please contact Emily Ryan at [email protected] or 617-773-6203 ext.26.