Fort Wayne Community Schools’ volunteers stuffed more than 500 backpacks with school supplies for children in need ahead of the upcoming school year.
Volunteers met at the Wendy Y Robinson Family and Community Engagement Center on Monday morning to fill backpacks with pencils, rulers, snacks and other school supplies.
Every year, Fort Wayne Community Schools staff raises funds to put towards assembling these backpacks in order to get them into the hands of students who might not be able to purchase their own ahead of the coming school year.
Shonda Lay-Ankenbruck is the secretary for Families In Transition, FWCS initiative for unhoused students. She’s heading into her fourth school year and said the program has been going on for as long as she’s been in her position.
“I’m not sure where the idea originated, but I do know that we’re, you know, very big on wanting our kiddos to be successful," Lay-Ankenbruck said.
The Center puts out a call for volunteers to staff in other buildings to come and help them fill the backpacks.
Lay-Ankenbruck said they were fortunate this year to have a large group of volunteers who filled the backpacks quickly.
Some of the backpacks will be handed out at the Back-to-School Block Party on Aug. 5, and the remaining supplies will be given to case managers to help distribute to students who need them.
