Glide Memorial Church has been providing backpacks and school supplies for Tenderloin children annual for over a decade. On August 12th, we distributed 300 backpacks for participants at the Janice Mirikitani Family, Youth and Child Care Center, the Family Resource Center, those living in Glide housing and the congregation’s Glide Kids participants.
The Tenderloin area is home to the largest population of children in San Francisco. In the Tenderloin, over 1500 families live below the poverty line, that number alone spurs us into action. During the pandemic, kids and families were unable to pick up their backpacks in person and backpacks were sent directly to our partner programs. This year, the event was able to successfully #ReturntoCommunity, with the help of volunteers from Glide and Code Tenderloin.
“These backpacks are more than just school supplies, they are a symbol that we are a safe, loving community for kids and families in the Tenderloin,” said Marvin K. White, Glide Memorial Church’s Minister of Celebration. “The families we serve often have to make hard decisions, the ability to buy school supplies should not be one of them.”
Giveaways include backpacks, books, binders, pens, pencils, pencil boxes, crayons, markers, and glue. The family of Maya Angelou has donated socks with inspirational poems that will also be included in each backpack. Each backpack, filled with supplies, has an estimated value of $75. The Backpack giveaway was made possible by the generous donations of 80 individuals, who donated over $7,710. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, donated and supported the backpack giveaway.
Local news channels 5 and 7 stopped by to report on the event.