Not Mission Impossible, It’s Mission Backpack!
Every summer for 30 years, Helping Hands has supplied backpacks filled with school supplies to agencies in Westchester serving students in need. This summer will be no different. “We are deeply committed to this mission,” says co-President Susan Salice. “Even with the pandemic, we knew we had to find a way to continue Mission Backpack.”
Last year Mission Backpack provided 2,050 backpacks filled with over 15 school supplies. This year, with crowds of volunteers being out of the question, the challenge was how to run a socially distant, Covid-safe event. Young Kim and Juli Schmidt, Helping Hands event co-Chairs, developed a Mini Backpack assembly to test a strategy. On June 25, in the Resurrection Middle School parking lot, volunteers gathered, assembled 200 backpacks, and filled them with school supplies.
“We were blessed with good weather and great attitudes,” said Brigitte Sarnoff, co-President. Armed with knowledge from the Mini Backpack assembly, Helping Hands will run Mission Backpack in early August. Since the event is held outside, an exact date will be decided upon by watching the weather. As with Covid, it’s all about the science.
With this intrepid group, come August, we know Mission Backpack will be Mission Accomplished.
Caption: Helping Hands volunteers doing a mini trial run of their annual Mission Backpack event.
