Image: Unsplash/Deleece Cook
I recall my childhood experience in late August each year, of anticipating the start of a new school year. I eagerly longed to see my classmates, anticipated being elevated to a new grade, and meet my new teacher. On September 6, 2022, thousands of children in the London area will arrive at school proudly displaying new shoes, new clothes, and colorful backpacks full of such supplies as crayons, pencils, erasers, and notebooks. They will be eager to begin their experience of a new school year. But not all children will have a backpack; some will endure the humiliation of “making do” with worn clothing and a lack of all the items listed as “essential supplies” by their schools. Parents will suffer with their children. However, our City of London responds to the needs of children and there is a community-wide effort to ensure that no child will be deprived of school supplies.
In 2001, Natalie Trimble and Chantal McLaughlin started” Supplies for Schools” in their basement. This nascent program has evolved into “Best First Day”, a community-wide drive to donate school supplies to children in need. United Way Elgin Middlesex, Thames Valley Education Foundation, and The Salvation Army coordinate this drive, which, in 2021, donated nearly 3,200 backpacks full of supplies to students of all ages in London’s school districts. Backpacks and supplies are distributed to public, Catholic, and Indigenous schools. Donors may purchase supplies online, participate in workplace collections, or leave supplies at a drop-off location until September 2nd. Several businesses have chosen to become drop-off locations. Individuals have given supplies, or sometimes formed teams to collect and donate money or supplies to this project. Donors may, if they choose, select particular schools as recipients for their contributions; the donated backpacks and other supplies will be distributed through the Thames Valley Education Foundation.
If you wish more information about how you might help children in need to have a happy and successful educational experience, you will find an excellent source of information by visiting: Best First Day.
Sister Pat McKeon, CSJ