Heading back to school in the fall can be especially hard for kids from struggling families, full of reminders of the privileges their peers take for granted and things their own families can’t afford.

But for the more than 100 children and teenagers who live in Solid Ground housing, this school year got off to a strong and promising start thanks to the generosity of community members who answered our call to Pack it Forward last month. In all, we received more than 150 backpacks and countless notebooks, binders, books, pens, crayons, and more – plus cash donations to sustain and strengthen the programs and services Solid Ground residents rely on. 

At Sand Point Housing, which is home to 180 individuals and families who’ve experienced homelessness, parents and kids had a chance to peruse the options in the basement of our community center before heading upstairs for a brief session on youth financial education offered by Chase Bank. Then families were treated to a hamburger lunch donated by our friends at Dick’s Drive-in! 

Backpacks and school supplies were also handed out to families at Solid Ground’s Broadview Shelter and Transitional Housing, home to about 100 families escaping the dual traumas of homelessness and domestic violence. At both housing sites, it was a joyful way to wrap up summer activities and get kids ready for academic success! 

Special thanks to the community partners who made this day possible: 

All photos by Rachael Green.