A national, federally funded program donated more than five tons of backpacks and school supplies on Sept. 19 to benefit 1,100 homeless and foster students at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District.

K to College, in collaboration with the District’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program, delivered 10 pallets of school supplies, including 776 backpacks for homeless students and 324 for students who are foster children. The first batch of backpacks was distributed at Sanchez Elementary on Sept. 21.

“Thank you K to College and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program for supporting our District’s focus on the success of all our students,” Superintendent Dr. Hasmik Danielian said. “Our students need these tools to be fully engaged with their lessons.”

This is the second year K to College donated school supplies for Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s students in need. Each backpack comes with a tote bag and supplies tailored to the student’s grade, including:

  • Lower Elementary: crayons, portfolio folders, index cards, whiteboard, primary pencils, washable markers, construction paper;
  • Upper Elementary: spiral notebooks, colored pencils, ball-point pens, highlighters, wide-ruled paper, pencils, pens; and
  • Middle and High School: binders, correction tape, index cards, subject dividers, mechanical pencils, sketch pad, stapler, subject dividers, spiral notebooks.

“We value the partnerships we have with our community in helping us form a foundation of success for our students,” Board of Education President Karen Morrison said. “Our students are better prepared in their classrooms thanks to this tremendous donation from K to College.”

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program supports homeless and foster youths in overcoming challenges that may prevent them from having the same access to education as their peers. The program provides counseling services and helps families in transitional housing – which includes families in shelters or sharing a household with multiple families – find permanent homes.

PHOTOS:

NLMUSD_BACKPACKS1: Norwalk-La Mirada Unified’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Education program coordinator Rosa Barragan gathers an armful of the five tons of school supplies donated by K to College for the District’s homeless and foster youth.