MISSOULA – With school just around the corner, many families are checking both their school supply lists and their wallets.
To help, United Way and Missoula Chevrolet donated more than 800 backpacks full of supplies to those in need in Missoula and Mineral County.
“We have a lot of underprivileged children. It just strengthens their ability to want to go to school,” said Merry Mueller, Mineral County superintendent.
On July 19, community members from Mineral County came to pick up hundreds of backpacks. “We don’t really get donations as big as this. It really has a huge impact and (we) were all so grateful because sometimes they only give a few or only one class or only the high school gets them. But for everyone to have a chance is great,” Mueller told MTN.
Mineral County Sheriff’s Deputy Wayne Cashman echoed Mueller’s sentiments. “Being able to come out here on my days off and help pick up these supplies for our underprivileged folks in Mineral County and for the folks who are having a harder time is fulfilling,” he said.
Mineral County’s packages are part of the 800 packages that United Way of Missoula is distributing to children and families in need this year. “This will allow them to start school on an equal footing with everyone else and have notebooks, pencils, paper and everything the school needs to be successful without their families having to worry about spending hundreds of dollars,” explains Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way of Missoula County.
Not only do the students get new bags, but they also get a ton of school supplies provided by Missoula Chevrolet. “They have donated tens of thousands of dollars to us over the last two years to make this program possible,” said Hay Patrick.
To get the things the children need, United Way turns to school districts. “We get the school districts’ wish list of school supplies, the things that every child should have when they start elementary school, middle school or high school,” explains Hay Patrick.
In addition to Mineral County, nonprofits in the Missoula area will also receive equipment. Hay Patrick shared, “Youth shelters picked up, I think, about 70 backpacks. Soft Landing Missoula, Missoula Food Bank and Community Center.”
In addition, United Way brings backpacks to the Missoula Fire Department so they are prepared for any situation. “We give them to the firefighters at the Missoula Fire Department so that if there is a fire or something bad happens to a family, they have backpacks on the truck that they can give to a family in need,” Hay Patrick said.
