Peninsula students were among those to benefit from a Back to School initiative organised by Central Coast volunteer-run charity We Care Connect.
With the help of the local community, more than 200 Back-to-School backpacks including lunch boxes, drink bottles, stationary items and workbooks were distributed to primary and high schools all over the Coast, including on the Peninsula.
Backpacks for high school students included essential scientific calculators and USB sticks.
A spokesperson for We Care Connect said with the financial impact of Christmas still lingering, many families couldn’t provide their children with the basics they needed for a return to school from pencil cases and drink bottles to uniforms, backpacks, socks and shoes.
“We Care Connect was determined to make sure local children wouldn’t go without on their first day of school,” the spokesperson said.
The call went out, with several other community organisations stepping in to help.
Wyong Rugby Leagues Club’s grants program helped with the purchase of items.
Community members donated $4,400 to the fundraising appeal and many local residents donated new Back-to-School items as part of the campaign.
“It really was an exceptional demonstration of our great community coming together to help kids in need,” the spokesperson said.
We Care Connect operates through a professional network of case workers and support agencies working directly with disadvantaged families.
“The case workers shared feedback that the families receiving the Back-to-School packs are over the moon and it’s great that the kids can go back to school having the same supplies as their classmates,” the spokesperson said.
“In some instances, the children have recently become homeless and aren’t able to get their old things back in time for school (due to) families struggling financially and single parents who have left their partner due to domestic violence.”
We Care Connect also distributes pre-loved children’s items like cots, car seats, prams and clothing through a professional network of support agencies and case workers.
If you would like to donate, go to www.wecareconnect.org.au to find the six drop off locations through the Central Coast.
To donate to the Back to School campaign, go to: https://back-2-school.raisely.com/
Source:
Media release, Feb 7
We Care Connect