“Every Backpack Tells a Story” at Hammond Middle School Donation Event
Speakers reflected on education, opportunity, and community as 500 backpacks were prepared for students in need.
ALEXANDRIA, VA – A rainbow of brand-new backpacks lined the entrance of Francis C. Hammond Middle School on Thursday during a school supply donation event, as organizers prepared them for students who need them most for the upcoming academic year.
United Way of the National Capital Area, a Washington, D.C.-based organization devoted to fighting income disparity among families throughout the National Capital region, partnered with Enterprise Mobility to organize the donation event. Since 2017, United Way NCA and Enterprise Mobility have provided 4,000 backpacks to low-income students at Hammond Middle School, including 500 this year.
Volunteers filled each colorful backpack with back-to-school essentials, including pencils, pens, erasers, pencil cases, highlighters, and notebooks.
Community members gathered outside Hammond Middle School, one of the only Title I schools in Alexandria, as speakers commemorated the 17-year partnership between United Way NCA and Enterprise Mobility during the distribution of 500 stuffed backpacks.
“It’s always an exciting time when we welcome in our community partners,” said Anika Buster-Singleton, principal of Hammond Middle School. “We are always grateful for their support of our students, providing them with the tools that they need to be successful during the school year.”
Buster-Singleton said the school will distribute the bags to families in the fall during the middle school’s welcome-back carnival, a large event that welcomes students back to campus. She added that the supplies provide relief to families in need throughout the school year.
“There have been times where students have said, ‘I need a backpack, I need pencils, I need paper,’ and we show them to the school’s community closet, and they are relieved when they see all of the supplies, knowing they can receive what they need,” Buster-Singleton said. “It shows them that we believe in their success and that we’re going to work to eliminate any barriers that hinder their success in school.”
In previous years, United Way NCA and Enterprise Mobility provided students with drawstring bags; however, they wanted to create a more meaningful and practical experience by giving students backpacks they can use every day.
“Students get to choose,” said Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt. “Years ago, supplies used to come in drawstring bags, and that wasn’t as personal. But now students can have the full shopping experience — choosing a pink backpack, a blue backpack, whatever they like.”
Speakers at the event highlighted the importance of a backpack and what it represents as a symbol of education.
“Every backpack tells a story and opens a door of opportunity for students,” Kay-Wyatt said.
Kay-Wyatt added that giving students the ability to choose their own backpacks creates a sense of ownership and self-expression.
“It gives them the opportunity for individual preference, just like if they walked into a store themselves,” she said. “It says something about who that student is and helps them feel special because they selected their own backpack.”
However, families facing financial struggles experience an immense burden when it comes to affording backpacks and school supplies.
“There’s been tremendous financial loss in this region because of cuts to the federal workforce and contractors, so everyday expenses like school supplies are simply not in the budget for many struggling families,” said Nicole Cooper, chief external affairs officer of United Way. “It costs hundreds of dollars to fully stock a backpack for a child for the school year.”
The donation also alleviates financial pressure for low-income families by supplying students with backpacks and school supplies.
“It gives families one less thing to worry about so they can focus on family, education and making sure their children are successful,” Kay-Wyatt said.
Speakers at the event also reflected on the deeper meaning each backpack carries for students and families across the community.
“What I see when I look across this table is that these bags are each individual stories,” said Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, a speaker at the event. “I’m thinking about a young Pashto speaker who will have this backpack, another family who just immigrated here from another country, a military family, or the first person in their family who will go on to college. I see each of these bags and know the role each one will play in those individual stories.”
Kay-Wyatt said she hopes the event encourages more community involvement and volunteerism throughout Alexandria.
“I hope this story encourages others to volunteer and get engaged and connected in their community, whether with this organization or another,” Kay-Wyatt said. “Connectedness to your community and volunteerism is so important.”
