Volunteers got together on
August 21st at C.U.M.C. to stuff
all the donated backpacks with
school supplies in preparation
for the giveaway.
August 21st at C.U.M.C. to stuff
all the donated backpacks with
school supplies in preparation
for the giveaway.
Longtime supporter Butch
Shafsky of Companions on the
Journey Catholic Community of
Palo Alto sorts through the
donated notebooks.
Shafsky of Companions on the
Journey Catholic Community of
Palo Alto sorts through the
donated notebooks.
Terri Grotzinger, vicar at Holy
Family Episcopal Church in Half
Moon Bay, finds the correct
school supplies for the grade
level she is working on.
Family Episcopal Church in Half
Moon Bay, finds the correct
school supplies for the grade
level she is working on.
Ed Morgan of Companions
on the Journey receives
assistance from one of our
young volunteers.
on the Journey receives
assistance from one of our
young volunteers.
Coastside Catholic Worker
Local Kids Carry More than Books
in Backpacks this Fall
Clinging shyly to her mother, her clothes looked a bit
rumpled and well worn…the kind of clothes that you might
find at a second-hand store…or that have been handed
down from older siblings or cousins…or that came from the
garage at the twice-weekly giveaway of food and clothing
at Magdalene House. She had come asking for a backpack
for school, a simple request and not all that uncommon this
time of the year when the Coastside Catholic Worker joins
with many individuals and groups for our annual Backpack
Giveaway. The problem was that, after giving out 645
“mochilas” (the Spanish word for backpack), it was
unlikely that there were any left that were appropriate
for a 1st-grader.
Mike told the woman in Spanish that we did not have a
backpack for her daughter but assured her we could help
her out with school supplies. He took mother and child to
the leftovers to look through the remnants of our
successful program. Kids all along the Coast, from
Montara to Pescadero, started the school year with a new
backpack, complete with grade appropriate supplies
according to lists provided by Cabrillo Unified School
District. More than 375 were given away from our
garage, with additional backpacks, cases of paper and
binders being delivered to the schools in Pescadero and
Farallone View School in Montara. Cabrillo Unified
School District Migrant Education, Programs for English
Language Learners and the Sheriff’s Activity League also
benefited.
The program commences every year on August 1st when we
start to sign up kids and families who need help getting
ready for the upcoming school year. At the same time, we
begin to gather the supplies from individuals and groups.
Outreach committees mobilize. Congregations put notices
in their bulletins and newsletters, asking for help. Some
do ongoing collections for several weeks. Others specify a
specific weekend to collect the goods. And then cheerful
volunteers make their way to our doorstep with the
delivery. Reams of paper…boxes of pencils and pens and
crayons and markers…a variety of calculators…stacks of
folders…cartons of notebooks and 3-ring binders…even
rulers. And backpacks upon backpacks of assorted sizes,
designs and colors!
On the appointed date (this year it was Saturday, August
21st) , volunteers gather together to stuff the bags and
organize them into appropriate grade levels. Normally an
all-day event, the number of volunteers helping this year
was so great that it took only a couple hours to finish
preparations. (Our apologies to those who stopped by
later in the day to help but found no one around.)
Our garage is then cleared of its usual array of clothing,
household items, food and diapers. The backpacks are
arranged. Volunteers are at the ready. The giveaway is
underway. Families are called to come by Magdalene
House and, little by little over the course of two weeks,
they make their way to the Kelly Avenue house. Children
ranging in age from first grade to high school seniors
accompany their parents to make their choice according to
their own style and needs. Smiles abound on the faces of
both the youth and the parents (or grandparents) who
brought them.
Then Mike loads up the van and takes extra backpacks
and supplies to schools and programs. When all was said
and done, we had given out close to 250 more backpacks
than last year for our biggest year ever. Wow!
Yet none of this would mean anything to this wee 6-year-
old. All she knew was that she wanted a backpack like all
her friends at school and she did not have one. Mike’s
heart was heavy as he gathered some paper and filled a
pencil case with crayons and pencils. Then, out of the
corner of his eye, a brightly colored purple backpack
decorated with butterflies, buried beneath a mound of
larger bags, grabbed his attention. He pulled it from the
pile and, sure enough, it was perfect!
Handing the discovery to the child, he grinned big. She
took it from him and clutched her newfound treasure with
an indescribable joy. Than she burst into tears and Mike
had to turn away. He was deeply moved.
We are humbled by so many people joining together with
us to help all these kids and are proud to be a part of a
community that cares so much for one another! We know in
our hearts that we gave out more than backpacks and
school supplies. Many local kids are now carrying more
than books and homework assignments on their backs.
They take with them the love and concern of the Coastside
community and beyond!
Kathy Niece (Fall 2004)
Deepest thanks to all who joined with us in our fourth
annual Backpack Giveaway! The following groups provided
backpacks, school supplies, financial support and/or
volunteers to this project: Coastside Jewish Community,
Coastside Lutheran Church, Community United Methodist
Church (C.U.M.C.) of Half Moon Bay, Holy Family
Episcopal Church of H.M.B., St. Peter Catholic Church in
Pacifica, Companions on the Journey Catholic Community of
Palo Alto, St. Charles Catholic Church of San Carlos and
St. Luke Catholic Church of Foster City. Special thanks to
Holy Family for providing storage as we gathered the
backpacks and supplies, and to C.U.M.C. for offering their
facilities for stuffing the backpacks.
in Backpacks this Fall
Clinging shyly to her mother, her clothes looked a bit
rumpled and well worn…the kind of clothes that you might
find at a second-hand store…or that have been handed
down from older siblings or cousins…or that came from the
garage at the twice-weekly giveaway of food and clothing
at Magdalene House. She had come asking for a backpack
for school, a simple request and not all that uncommon this
time of the year when the Coastside Catholic Worker joins
with many individuals and groups for our annual Backpack
Giveaway. The problem was that, after giving out 645
“mochilas” (the Spanish word for backpack), it was
unlikely that there were any left that were appropriate
for a 1st-grader.
Mike told the woman in Spanish that we did not have a
backpack for her daughter but assured her we could help
her out with school supplies. He took mother and child to
the leftovers to look through the remnants of our
successful program. Kids all along the Coast, from
Montara to Pescadero, started the school year with a new
backpack, complete with grade appropriate supplies
according to lists provided by Cabrillo Unified School
District. More than 375 were given away from our
garage, with additional backpacks, cases of paper and
binders being delivered to the schools in Pescadero and
Farallone View School in Montara. Cabrillo Unified
School District Migrant Education, Programs for English
Language Learners and the Sheriff’s Activity League also
benefited.
The program commences every year on August 1st when we
start to sign up kids and families who need help getting
ready for the upcoming school year. At the same time, we
begin to gather the supplies from individuals and groups.
Outreach committees mobilize. Congregations put notices
in their bulletins and newsletters, asking for help. Some
do ongoing collections for several weeks. Others specify a
specific weekend to collect the goods. And then cheerful
volunteers make their way to our doorstep with the
delivery. Reams of paper…boxes of pencils and pens and
crayons and markers…a variety of calculators…stacks of
folders…cartons of notebooks and 3-ring binders…even
rulers. And backpacks upon backpacks of assorted sizes,
designs and colors!
On the appointed date (this year it was Saturday, August
21st) , volunteers gather together to stuff the bags and
organize them into appropriate grade levels. Normally an
all-day event, the number of volunteers helping this year
was so great that it took only a couple hours to finish
preparations. (Our apologies to those who stopped by
later in the day to help but found no one around.)
Our garage is then cleared of its usual array of clothing,
household items, food and diapers. The backpacks are
arranged. Volunteers are at the ready. The giveaway is
underway. Families are called to come by Magdalene
House and, little by little over the course of two weeks,
they make their way to the Kelly Avenue house. Children
ranging in age from first grade to high school seniors
accompany their parents to make their choice according to
their own style and needs. Smiles abound on the faces of
both the youth and the parents (or grandparents) who
brought them.
Then Mike loads up the van and takes extra backpacks
and supplies to schools and programs. When all was said
and done, we had given out close to 250 more backpacks
than last year for our biggest year ever. Wow!
Yet none of this would mean anything to this wee 6-year-
old. All she knew was that she wanted a backpack like all
her friends at school and she did not have one. Mike’s
heart was heavy as he gathered some paper and filled a
pencil case with crayons and pencils. Then, out of the
corner of his eye, a brightly colored purple backpack
decorated with butterflies, buried beneath a mound of
larger bags, grabbed his attention. He pulled it from the
pile and, sure enough, it was perfect!
Handing the discovery to the child, he grinned big. She
took it from him and clutched her newfound treasure with
an indescribable joy. Than she burst into tears and Mike
had to turn away. He was deeply moved.
We are humbled by so many people joining together with
us to help all these kids and are proud to be a part of a
community that cares so much for one another! We know in
our hearts that we gave out more than backpacks and
school supplies. Many local kids are now carrying more
than books and homework assignments on their backs.
They take with them the love and concern of the Coastside
community and beyond!
Kathy Niece (Fall 2004)
Deepest thanks to all who joined with us in our fourth
annual Backpack Giveaway! The following groups provided
backpacks, school supplies, financial support and/or
volunteers to this project: Coastside Jewish Community,
Coastside Lutheran Church, Community United Methodist
Church (C.U.M.C.) of Half Moon Bay, Holy Family
Episcopal Church of H.M.B., St. Peter Catholic Church in
Pacifica, Companions on the Journey Catholic Community of
Palo Alto, St. Charles Catholic Church of San Carlos and
St. Luke Catholic Church of Foster City. Special thanks to
Holy Family for providing storage as we gathered the
backpacks and supplies, and to C.U.M.C. for offering their
facilities for stuffing the backpacks.
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