Back to School Shop Holds 9th Annual Event

Stamford, CT, August 3, 2023--Back to School Shop, Inc., a local all-volunteer non-profit organization held its ninth annual event on Sunday, July 30, at Davenport Ridge Elementary School in Stamford. Nearly 370 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. Nearly 200 volunteers from the community helped to make the event a tremendous success.

When the doors opened at 9:00AM, children were checked in for their appointments, introduced to their volunteer “personal shoppers” and entered the school gymnasium, which had been transformed into a department store. There were racks and racks of winter coats and school clothes, a large sneaker fitting area, and tables overflowing with gloves and hats, backpacks, 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. New this year, children were also able to select a reusable water bottle and a lunch box.

“I think that my favorite part of the day each year is watching the children when they walk into the shop” said Meryl Japha, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Back to School Shop. “Their eyes grow wide when they see all of the items they’re able to choose and they have the biggest smiles on their faces!” Comments as the children entered the shop included “Wow”, “This is amazing” and “You get to choose everything new!”

The personal shoppers helped each child make their way through the shop, stopping at every area to select a warm winter coat, try on new school clothes, pick their favorite backpack, and most exciting for many, choose the perfect pair of new sneakers. One young shopper insisted on wearing his new shoes out of the shop and was seen tiptoeing away so as not to get them dirty. Others loved the books. Eight year old Isjael said “I’m so happy to be here and learn by getting new books.” Another shopper remarked “My favorite part is the lunch box-it matches my backpack and I never had a lunchbox.”

Linda Atkins, a Back to School Shop board member and the volunteer who does all the shopping for the annual event, explained, “We shop all year long to ensure that we have more than enough items for the children and that we have a wide range of sizes, styles and colors. We want each child to be able to choose something that is just perfect for them, and we always want to ensure that the last child through the shop has as big a selection as the first child does.”

While the children were shopping, parents and caregivers visited the Japha Family Resource Center where representatives of local agencies provided information about important community resources. Participating organizations included: Children's Learning Center, City of Stamford Office of Community Engagement, Community Action Agency, Connecticut Legal Services, Ferguson Library Bookmobile, Kids in Crisis, Moms Demand Action, St. Joseph's Parenting, Schoke Jewish Family Service and the Stamford Fire Department.

New this year, Schoke Jewish Family Service brought their Mobile Food Pantry to Back to School Shop and provided a bag of groceries to each participating family. They also provided food demonstrations with food samples several times during the day and gave families the opportunity to sign up for future food resources. Leah Schechter, Chief Program Officer of Schoke Jewish Family Service, said, “Partnering with the Back to School Shop has been an extraordinary opportunity, not only to provide food and services to families in Stamford, but to serve as an example of how collaboration between organizations and the local school districts fulfills our mission of raising up our community to the fullest extent.”

A number of state and local elected officials stopped by to visit the shop and speak to the children, families and volunteers. Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas visited the event for the first time this year and remarked “Back to School Shop is an incredible organization-providing not only new school clothes and supplies but confidence and pride to Stamford families in need.” State Representative Hubert Delany, also a first time visitor, toured the shop and then volunteered to take a shift helping children try on shoes. Representative Delany said “The Back to School Shop is a testament to the kindness and generosity of our community. It filled my heart with a profound sense of gratitude and admiration to see the amazing work they do, and I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of the organizers and volunteers who invested so much time and goodwill to support the children of Stamford.” Also visiting the event were State Senators Ceci Maher and Pat Billie Miller, and State Representatives Matt Blumenthal, Anabel Figueroa, Dominique Johnson, Rachel Khanna, and David Michel.

When the children completed their shopping, they met up with their parents to show off their new items. Both children and parents were very excited. Maria Seijas, mother of a 7 year daughter, exclaimed “We’re so excited to be here and prepare for school-it’s so motivational!” And shopper Aridjne exclaimed “My mother will be so happy that I found pants that I like!”

The volunteers were enthusiastic about their experience too. First time volunteer Claudia Santizzo remarked “I feel blessed to be here helping the kids and to recognize the beauty of those who donate time, money and goods.” Returning volunteer Roxanna Bajra said, “Back to School Shop is a humbling experience and a wonderful way to give back to the community.”

“We had nearly 200 community volunteers that worked to make today a success”, said Jane Levene, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Back to School Shop. “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.”

One young shopper summed up the day for many of the children, their families and the volunteers when he said “This is the best day ever!”

Since it opened its doors in 2015, Back to School Shop has outfitted over 2800 Stamford elementary school children.