Suffield EAA Equips Kids for School Year

The Suffield Emergency Aid Association’s (EAA) annual "Return to School" backpack program was successful beyond expectations this year. 

Thanks to the generosity of its volunteers and community, the EAA was able to distribute 156 backpacks filled with supplies to underprivileged children in Suffield in time for the 2011 school year. Backpacks also included gift cards for shoes and groceries, according to EAA Executive Director Janet Frechette.

The backpacks were distributed primarily on August 16 and special arrangements with those who could not meet the pickup date. Children were given school supplies in the conference room at the EAA building before choosing their own backpack, according to Frechette.

The backpacks themselves came in a variety of styles and were purchased during the off-season from retailers like Target and Costco, which Frechette said ensured that the children taking advantage of the program would fit in with their classmates at school.

"We offered [families] the opportunity to participate… based on the number of kids that are known to us because they received some level of programming from us through the year," Frechette said.

Those households that were interested had to respond with the age, gender and grade of their child to ensure they received the proper supplies for the new school year.

Families served by this program were also given gift cards to ShopRite, Payless Shoes and Target to help them acquire anything else they may have needed prior to the beginning of the school year, Frechette said.

Funds and supplies for the program were provided by the community and charitable organizations, including Sacred Heart Parish and the Salvation Army. The latter paid for the Payless gift cards through last December’s Red Kettle Drive outside CVS storefronts, which were in turn manned by volunteers from Suffield Academy, the Suffield High School’s Giraffe Club, the Rotary Club and others.

An exact dollar amount spent on the program was not available, but at least $3,950 was dedicated to gift cards alone. That figure doesn't include spending on backpacks and supplies from W.B. Mason, according to Frechette.

One especially notable contributor to this year’s the program, whose name Frechette was not at liberty to divulge, allowed the EAA to spend far less time and money than they otherwise would have by donating leftover products from displays he ran in office supply stores. In addition to a discount they received from a local W.B. Mason representative, the surplus school supplies the EAA was left with allowed the organization to share what they had with the Salvation Army in Winsted.

"There’s been years when we’ve gone out and bought 93 pencil sharpeners or three-ring binders," Frechette said. "We still had to buy them this year, but we lucked out in terms of getting such a great deal."

The donation also let the EAA avoid headaches with buying items in bulk from local retailers. Last year, Frechette spent 45 minutes in line at a Staples while they processed a purchase of 300 three-ring binders.

Surplus backpacks were left in the care of Suffield Public Schools social worker Lori O’Neil to distribute as she sought fit, according to Frechette.

Volunteers were responsible for organizing the school supplies before and during the program, which was led by EAA administrative assistant Michelle Frawley.

"[Frawley] has tremendous organizational skills, so she really handles all the details of the program," Frechette said. "It’s just a whole lot of sorting, you know, keeping track of every kid’s date of birth and the grade they’re going in to, and what needs to be in that backpack…  I mean, it’s a lot of effort."

Many volunteers were veteran contributors to the program, with Frechette making special note of Shirley Harrison, who has been organizing pencil boxes for the program for years.

Frechette said the backpack program has been running longer than the twelve years she has served as the EAA’s executive director, having existed in a lesser form under the previous town social worker.

This year’s total of 156 backpacks beat out the 143 and 149 distributed in 2010 and 2009, respectively.

"It’s a fact that we’re seeing more and more people, because of the economy, require our services," Frechette said. "So when we look back over the year and say, 'OK, who utilized that program and that program and that program,' we’re seeing our numbers grow just because we’re seeing our basic programs growing."