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Date: 8/25/2020
EASTHAMPTON – The annual backpack drive sponsored by Applied Mortgage and the Easthampton Community Center has kicked off.
Applied Mortgage has been partnering with the community center for this annual event for six years. In those years, Applied Mortgage themselves have given away over 2,300 book bags. This year they will donate 400 to students in need.
The community center located at 12 Clark St. has distributed between 500 and 700 book bags each year in its food pantry system. The community center’s Executive Director Robin Bialecki said the number varies as children age out of the program at the age of 18.
This year, the center will distribute 625 bags plus any more that get donated in the meantime for students in need. The backpacks will be given out during pantry hours of Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.
Another 225 bags were distributed between Community Action, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department, Grace House and Meadowbrook Apartments.
“We have fewer bags than last year as funding and donations are down but we will try to help as many families as possible,” said Bialecki.
Each book bag is filled with school supplies as well as hand sanitizer and masks that were donated to the Easthampton Community Center.
“We had many wonderful people making masks for the center since COVID began so that we could distribute them to our clients in the pantry program to keep them safe. When I asked if they could make smaller masks for the children they were happy to help. I have one family that made 1,000 masks for the kids,” said Bialecki.
There have been enough masks donations to supply each book bag with three.
Applied Mortgage Co-Branch Manager Lindsay LaBonte said they first reached out to their organizations throughout the community to get a feel on whether or not they still need the supplies. The donations are in more need of this year because when students go back to in-person learning, they cannot share supplies.