900 backpacks, 60 volunteers and 29 years of helping children in domestic violence and homeless shelters

(AJNews) – Sixty Na’amat Canada Calgary members and community volunteers came together last month to pack 900 backpacks filled with grade-appropriate school supplies for school-aged children who will take refuge in Calgary and southern Alberta domestic violence and homeless shelters during the coming school year.

For 29 years, Na’amat Canada Calgary’s School Supplies for Kids program has helped ensure that children entering shelters are ready to return to the classroom. Since the program began in 1998, more than 27,000 children have received backpacks and school supplies.

While the backpacks contain practical necessities such as pencils, notebooks and other school supplies, their impact goes well beyond the contents. For children experiencing the trauma of domestic violence or homelessness, receiving something that is new, personal and specifically theirs can help restore a sense of normalcy at a time when so much in their lives has changed.

“The staff from the shelters repeatedly tell us how the children in their care light up when they receive one of our backpacks with school supplies,” says Stephanie Sacks, School Supplies for Kids Chairperson. “Our program not only equips these vulnerable children with the tools they need to succeed in school but also helps strengthen their self-esteem. Thanks to the countless hours our members devote to this initiative, as well as the 60 committed volunteers who assemble the 900 backpacks on our packing day, these children’s lives will be a little brighter.”

The costs for the 2026 School Supplies for Kids program exceeded $37,000. Funding from the successful screening of the documentary Marathon Mom, support from Rogers Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink, and the generosity of community donors and sponsors enable Na’amat Canada Calgary to continue meeting the needs of children who have experienced significant challenges.

Established in 1925, Na’amat Canada is part of an international Jewish women’s non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and children of all faiths and denominations in Canada and Israel.

For more information, visit www.naamat.com.