Backpacks for All and to All a Good School Year!
We donated backpacks for Gowanda Central School (GCS) students in need today through our Panther Paws of Hope initiative!
Doing our homework for this effort was essential ahead of today’s donation. Special thank you goes to The ImPactful Panthers for hosting a backpack panel for us late last school year. The student-volunteer discussion reviewed several different backpack samples to determine the best options for the GCS student body.
Our donation also works with The Thrifty Panther program housed in the high school building. The clothing closet offers an increasingly growing outlet for students to obtain basic necessities at no expense. However, one thing remains missing from the selection: backpacks. Today’s effort aims to address this through three stages.
The first stage provides 20 quality laptop backpacks to be split between middle & high school students. This model includes a dedicated Chromebook pocket as well as a built-in USB charging port for student devices. Secondly, a case of 24 children’s backpacks is supplied for elementary students. Designs for both boys and girls are available, with a mesh water bottle pocket being offered regardless.
Lastly, we wanted to help students carry their gym clothes to & from school. Recognizing that the availability of plastic bags has dwindled and how poorly paper bags do in inclement weather opened our eyes to this underlying need. A case of 48 drawstring bags wraps up today’s backpack donation and Panther Paws of Hope effort.
Thank you kindly for your time, and we hope you have a great rest of your day!
ImPactful Panther Picture by Madison Luder, Non-Profit Student Volunteer
