Volunteers in Paramus fill 1,360 backpacks for North Jersey kids in need

Hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of school supplies.

All to make sure one more child can go back to school with a new backpack.

Volunteers of all ages descended on Paramus on Wednesday morning for the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey’s third annual Supplies for Success drive, where nearly 200 strangers came together to fill 1,360 backpacks for North Jersey students in need.

The initiative, which the regional chapter modeled after a program run by the UJA-Federation of New York, aims to provide all students in Bergen County with the supplies they need for back-to-school.

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Organizers of the growing event estimate that one in five children do not have access to basic school supplies, and about 400,000 children in New Jersey live in poverty. By providing all children with new backpacks, students can start the school year on the same playing field, regardless of their circumstances, they say.

Beth Figman, director of volunteer services at Jewish Federation, said it costs about $18 for each new backpack filled with supplies. With about $24,480 in donations, the group this year was able to fill 1,360 backpacks.

In Bergen County, every public elementary school in Teaneck and Hackensack will be receiving donated backpacks, said Figman. About 400 bags will also be distributed in Passaic County through Oasis, a Paterson-based nonprofit.

Attendees on Wednesday described the energy of the room as "emotional," and said they felt what they were doing was important.

Volunteers, including dozens of children, formed two separate assembly lines at the federation's offices. One line filled backpacks for kindergarten through second grade students, and the other for students in third grade through fifth grade. Each backpack moved down the line, getting stuffed with folders, writing utensils, notebooks, and even socks and hats.

"As a mom, it's extremely important that I model good behavior for my children," said Tina Schweid, the assistant director of the Leadership Network for the Jewish Federation. The Demarest resident was at the drive with her two sons, Zach, 10, and Jake, 8. "I also want my children to see that not all kids can just go online and order a backpack."

"I think this is important," said Zach. "The kids who get these backpacks can then go to school and have a better education. They'll have the same chances as me."

Continues to grow

Since its first year, the program has nearly tripled in size.

In 2015, volunteers filled 550 backpacks. In 2016, they filled 1,000. Organizers estimate that the number of volunteers — about 180 on Wednesday — has doubled over time.

"We weren't sure in year one what the need would be, so we kept our sights low," said Figman. "But the truth is, this year we could have done more than 2,000 [backpacks], and still have requests for more."

The initiative's co-chairs — Rachel Adler, Kati Frisch Grossman, and Michal Levison —hope by next year to be able to supply as many as 2,000 bags for students, if not more.

"We're hoping to incrementally increase over time," said Levison. "The outpouring of support from volunteers and donations has been tremendous, and it continues to grow."

"We provide backpacks mostly to Bergen County organizations, but we would hope to expand to all of New Jersey," said Frisch Grossman.

They say the initiative is as important for the volunteers as it is for the students receiving the bags.

"There are so many things that are important about this program. One of the things is giving people a reality check of how much need there is in our community — regardless of religion, race, political belief," said Adler. "Kids are kids, and school is school. Having your pencils, and erasers, and crayons are things they all need to be successful."

The federation teamed up with other nonprofits for the drive, including Hackensack-based Bergen Volunteer Center and Rutherford-based Angelwish, to raise awareness about the program as well as to expand its reach. BVC will also be hosting another drive on Monday. Volunteers can register for that drive online.

Shimmy Mehta, the founder and chief executive officer of Angelwish, which works with children with chronic illnesses, said his group will be receiving about 30 backpacks to bring to the AIDS Resource Foundation in Newark.

“There’s a huge need. We deal with a lot of families that deal with chronic health issues, ongoing illnesses that weigh on families,” said Mehta. “They struggle to make ends meet. If we can alleviate their struggles even a little bit, it will make a huge difference.”

The Center for Food Action also received some of the backpacks, which will go to families they work with, said Jennifer Johnson, the group’s director of communications and community outreach.

“Our clients are living on the edge so much that buying school supplies could push them over,” said Johnson. “Providing them with a backpack means that whatever resources they do have can be used for other expenses.”

As the morning reached its end on Wednesday, the piles of backpacks sitting in different corners of the federation's offices in Paramus continued to grow.

Outside of its headquarters, a Hackensack Board of Education van sat idling, waiting for the backpacks it would bring to those children in need.

On the web

Watch a video of volunteers packing and stacking backpacks. Visit njersy.co/paramusbackpacks