Thousands of San Diego children are preparing to return to school. However, the cost of going back to school is a burden for too many of those families.
That’s why Operation Homefront and its volunteers spent Friday packing hundreds of backpacks full of school supplies.
“Pencils, calculators, pencil sharpeners, crayons, markers, highlighters, just all the needed items to start the school year,” listed Operation Homefront Area Manager Sarah Stempien.
Stempien said it costs roughly $900 to send a child back to school with new clothes and school supplies like backpacks and lunchboxes. That’s why Operation Homefront and its partners spent Friday stuffing a thousand backpacks for its annual Back-to-School Brigade. Stempien said it’s one of their core family support programs.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
“This helps ease the burden for the military families,” she said.
It gives parents a break and gets kids excited for school.
“It’s really satisfying to know you’re helping people,” said volunteer Riley Lincoln, a rising Bishop’s School freshman. “I just like seeing their smiles when they realize they get to just go to school.”
“For me, that’s one of the best parts: I love having the kids helping each other and serving each other,” smiled Stempien.
Local
San Diego County families registered ahead of time to receive one of the backpacks full of school supplies. They’ll be distributed Saturday morning in San Carlos and next month in Oceanside.
