Posted on October 3, 2014 by Ruth Lindner As the summer came to a close, the Coalition for the Homeless was humbled by the enthusiastic support of so many businesses, organizations, schools and caring individuals who helped make the seventh annual Project: Back to School such a success. This year, over 3,000 new backpacks filled with notebooks, pencils, rulers, crayons, scissors and more were distributed to boys and girls living in New York City homeless shelters. School can be challenging for any child, with the pressures of homework and getting to school on time each day. But for the more than 24,000 children living in NYC homeless shelters – with little space to complete assignments, long commutes to school every morning, and the burden of trying to hide their homelessness from their classmates – facing the school day can be especially troublesome. The gift of a backpack can make all the difference. We would like to take this opportunity to thank a few of the groups that supported Project: Back to School so generously. We greatly appreciate the support of our PBTS partners Manhattan Mini Storage and the United Federation of Teachers. For the seventh year in a row, Manhattan Mini Storage hosted collection sites at all of their locations throughout the city and dedicated several trucks to help pick up supplies. We were incredibly fortunate to again work with the United Federation of Teachers, who donated more than 145 boxes of supplies while encouraging schools to get involved in the drive! We also couldn’t have done it without the generous folks at AIG, who donated over 1,000 backpacks, sent in hundreds of much-needed supplies, and brought members of their team to help sort supplies and fill backpacks. In addition, thank you to Bank of America, who were onsite multiple times to help stuff bags throughout the drive, and to Mr. G, our tireless advocate, who promoted the drive on PIX11 News! We sincerely appreciate the efforts of SL Green, who hosted donation drop-offs at 24 buildings, and we would like to acknowledge the participants in Passport NYC, who volunteered and donated $1,500 that went straight to purchasing critical supplies. To all who participated in the drive: Please know that you made a tremendous difference in a child’s life – THANK YOU!
