CVRM asks for community’s help in backpack drive

The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission is having its annual school backpack drive to prepare kids in need for the upcoming school year, and they need the community’s help.

The mission is hoping to collect 3,000 new backpacks this year filled with school supplies such as pens, pencils, notebooks, glue, markers, binders, notecards, calculators, rulers, etc., but so far they only have 50 backpacks donated. The last day to donate is August 10th.

Some local seniors decided to help. At Pacifica Senior Living, they’ve been collecting school supplies for a couple weeks to fill backpacks to contribute to the backpack drive.

“We have wonderful residents here who just jumped in if they couldn’t get to the store to buy something they donated money,” said Frances Pierce, President of the Residents Council at Pacifica Senior Living.

“It’s a very worthy cause these children need these things […] they’re just delighted when you see their faces,” said Dorothy Smith, a resident at Pacifica Senior Living.

The mission has placed bins throughout the valley to drop off new backpacks filled with supplies. If you fill a backpack and want to ready to donate, check their website here for all of the different locations around the valley where you can drop them off, or if you have several backpacks and you want the mission to come pick them up for you, they’ll be happy to do that if you give them a call. Backpacks and supplies can also be dropped off directly at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.

“With the new school year coming it’s nice for them to have something to be excited about,” said Desire Tegge, executive assistant at the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.

Families and kids will be able to receive the donated backpacks on August 11th at the mission. However, families in need begin lining up the night before. The mission is hoping to be able to provide for all of them. They will also be providing free haircuts for children at the mission on August 11th.