Local DAR Chapter Collects 70 Backpacks for Area Children In Need

Members of Polly Cooper Chapter, NSDAR collected 70 backpacks to support school readiness for area children. Backpacks were donated by members, associate members (DAR members from other chapters), and the community to benefit Operation Backpack® and Kids’ Kloset. Scattered Books bookstore in Chappaqua provided a drop-off location for the local community to assist in the effort.

Vice-Regent Kathy Schreiber spearheaded the initiative. “Being and feeling ready for school is a critical component of education but not everyone has the means or ability to provide their children with school supplies. I learned about Operation Backpack® through my employer and wanted to find a way to extend our impact.”

The New York City area has more than 18,000 school-aged children living in homeless and domestic violence shelters and the goal of Operation Backpack®, an annual campaign by Volunteers of America-Greater New York, is to provide each child with a backpack filled with grade-specific supplies. “I am overwhelmed by the support of my Chapter and the community,” said Ms. Schreiber. "Our original goal was 20 backpacks, and because of the donated backpacks, co-workers in my department provided supplies for more than twice that amount. I was also thrilled our backpack collection could support Kids’ Kloset, a volunteer-driven organization with personal ties to our Chapter.”

For more information about Operation Backpack® visit www.voa-gny.org/operation-backpack.

Kids Kloset is a division of (914) CARES, a non-profit co-founded by Polly Cooper Chapter Member Dawn Greenberg. For more information about Kids’ Kloset visit www.914Cares.org.

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children. Its members descend from patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With 178,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations.

To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit www.DAR.org. For more information about the Polly Cooper Chapter, NSDAR, their activities, and membership, please email the chapter at info@pollycooperdar.org.