Yonkers Insider: Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker: The Sharing Shelf “Backpacks to School” Initiative Needs Your Help!

Dear Friends & Neighbors In consultation with educators, The Sharing Shelf in Port Chester, NY has decided to proceed with its annual ”Backpacks to School” program – since even in the midst of the pandemic, children still need to learn. Their “Backpacks to School” initiative enables them to buy new backpacks and fill them with grade appropriate school supplies for low-income children in Westchester County. This year, students will need the usual supplies, plus additional resources to keep them mentally engaged and enriched. The Sharing Shelf plans to provide the basics, plus enhanced materials such as age-appropriate educational magazines, puzzles, activity sets and books. The Sharing Shelf hopes to fill at least 1,500 backpacks and seeks to raise $45,000 for this project. Volunteers will help assemble the backpacks during the month of August, using social distancing in a special area at The Sharing Shelf’s Port Chester warehouse. The backpacks and supplies are critical to the academic success of low-income children and will allow students to return to school prepared, confident, and ready to learn. To find out more about how to help or to donate, please contact The Sharing Shelf Program Director, Deborah Blatt at dblatt@sharingshelf.org or (914) 305-5950. You may also visit www.sharingshelf.org and click on Backpacks to School. Thank you for your support in helping Westchester’s low-income students. Sincerely,