Back to School Shop Holds 10th Anniversary Event

Back to School Shop, Inc., a local all-volunteer non-profit organization held its 10th Anniversary event on Sunday, July 28, at Davenport Ridge Elementary School in Stamford. Nearly 430 children from Stamford Elementary Schools, identified and pre-registered by their school social workers, were able to “shop” free of charge for brand new back-to-school clothing and school supplies in a pop-up shop created just for them.

“Congratulations to the Back to School Shop on their 10th Anniversary this year,” said Dr. Tamu Lucero, Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools, who attended the event and is one of the original supporters of Back to School Shop. “Back to School Shop plays a critical role in helping our most vulnerable students head back to school with confidence and enthusiasm, and we are immensely grateful to the volunteers and donors who make this incredible community resource available to Stamford’s families.”

Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons also attended the event and presented Co-Founders and Co-Chairs of Back to School Shop, Meryl Japha and Jane Levene, with a proclamation declaring July 28, 2024, as Back to School Shop Day in Stamford. The proclamation expressed Stamford’s “gratitude to all the volunteers for your unwavering commitment to serving the Stamford community and ensuring that our students are ready to learn and grow in the 2024-2025 school year.”

We had over 200 community volunteers that worked to make today a success”, said Levene. “Some were long time volunteers and some joined us for the first time. We were thrilled to have them all. There would be no Back to School Shop without the support of our community—our generous donors and volunteers, community leaders and The Stamford Public School System. We are so grateful for their support.”

Japha added, “We’re so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last 10 years. We’ve increased the number of children we can fully outfit for school from 125 the first year to nearly 430 on our 10th anniversary event today! In total we’ve outfitted 3200 elementary school children in our community, and each year it is a joy to see the excitement on their faces as they enter the shop.”

After checking in for their appointments, the children, accompanied by their volunteer “personal shoppers” entered the school’s gymnasium, which had been transformed into a department store, with racks of winter coats and school clothes, a large sneaker fitting area, and tables overflowing with gloves and hats, backpacks, lunchboxes, hooded sweatshirts, underwear and socks, as well as school supplies and a large assortment of books. All of the hats were handmade by community knitters and crocheters.

The children wore big smiles as they entered the shop. Fourth-grader Martina exclaimed “I’ve been waiting all year for this! My feet and knees are shaking I’m so excited!”

Long-time volunteer Laurie Chase said, “It’s so wonderful that these children have the opportunity to pick out their own brand new clothes and backpacks.” Her husband, Lew Finkel, also a long-time volunteer, added, “How often do you get to see a young child literally walk on air? I hope everyone has an opportunity to make a kid this happy!”

As a special addition for the 10th anniversary event, local children’s book author Valerie Bolling was on hand to meet the participating children and provide them with a signed copy of one of her new books. She remarked, “As an author and educator to be involved in giving away and signing books is extraordinarily rewarding. Literacy and ensuring children see themselves in books is close to my heart and Back to School Shop furthers that beautifully.”

While the children were shopping, parents and caregivers visited the Japha Family Resource Center where representatives of over a dozen local agencies provided information about important community resources available to them.

Also on hand was the Schoke Jewish Family Service Mobile Food Pantry which provided a bag of groceries to each participating family and gave families the opportunity to sign up for future food resources. In addition, parents were given access to bags filled with general and feminine hygiene products by Dignity Grows/United Jewish Federation.

A number of elected officials stopped by to visit the shop and speak to the children, families and volunteers, including US Senator Richard Blumenthal, CT Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas, State Senators Ceci Maher and Patricia Billie Miller, and State Representatives, Matt Blumenthal, Corey Paris, and Hubert Delany, who did a shift as a shoe fitter in the shop. Senator Blumenthal said “I am absolutely awed by the amazing numbers and quality of Back to School Shop resources available to Stamford’s young people. It’s a model for the state indeed, the country. As important as the tangibles of clothing, books and school supplies are, even more so is the spirit, generosity and caring that comes through via the kids, their parents and the entire community.”

When the children and their parents exited the shop, they had the opportunity to visit a fire truck and firefighters from the Stamford Fire Department, as well as the Ferguson Library Bookmobile. As a special treat to celebrate Back to School Shop’s 10th Anniversary, registered children and their siblings who came with them were treated to a free ice cream from a truck outside the event.

Nancy Stanton, social worker at Hart Magnet Elementary School, summed up the event, saying, “Back to School Shop is such a fabulous event for our community! I love seeing the kids coming to school on the first day showing off their new clothes. The Back to School Shop program is just one more way to engage our students in school so that they are more excited to learn!’

Happy Tenth Anniversary Back to School Shop!