Back to School Supply Drive Success

The Winnipeg Chapter's annual back to school supply drive was a major success this year as donors and volunteers came together to provide school supplies for children in foster care. The Winnipeg Chapter has done this school drive three years in a row in support of children growing up in and around CFS (Child and Family Services). During previous school drives, CFS has been overwhelmed and amazed at the support, and the parents and guardians that have received the supplies have been very grateful. Over the first two years, the Winnipeg Chapter has served 55 families and 133 children, and CFS has informed us that this drive has made the biggest difference for those with large families - 9 to 10 children, who all need supplies for the new school year. This year, 30 social workers swooped in to help equip over 90 children with school supplies. The room went from completely filled, down to seven packages of loose-leaf paper within just a few days! A message from CFS: "HOPE worldwide Canada has helped ease the pressures of the back-to-school budget crunch for many of our client families. So many parents on limited income dread buying back-to-school supplies. For families with multiple children returning to school, costs can be overwhelming. For the third year in a row, HOPE has helped to lighten the financial load of many families with children returning to school. HOPE also makes the social workers feel like heroes as they deliver these much-needed supplies. The workers all gush and thank me for the school supplies but I defer all praise to HOPE worldwide Canada." A huge thank you to all who participated in making any of this possible.