SBCSS News and Press Releases

County Homeless Education Program Provides 700 Back-to-school Backpacks

2012-08-17

SAN BERNARDINO - The Homeless Education program for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, Children Deserve Success, assembled and will distribute 700 backpacks this month for students in three county school districts.

The backpacks and school supplies stuffed in them were bought through donations provided by the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino charity golf tournament and will benefit K-12 students in the Adelanto, Morongo Unified and San Bernardino City Unified school districts.

"While we are very pleased to be able to provide these backpacks for homeless students in the districts, there is a much greater demand for supplies and services that these students need than we are able to supply," said Brenda Dowdy, who coordinates County Schools' Homeless Education program.

For the last reporting year, more than 27,600 students in the county's 33 school districts were identified as homeless. With only four school districts in San Bernardino County receiving a federal homeless grant for this academic year and the next two, there will be much greater demand for supplies and services than can be accommodated, Dowdy said.

Dodie Velarde, a parent who volunteered to put together the backpacks, said her children have benefitted in the past from donations that supplied backbacks and materials.

"The kids get motivated just having the backpacks. They see the older kids who get theirs and they said, 'I get one of those, too?' That's great," Velarde said. "It gives them motivation to come to school every day because it does give them a good feeling to get these backpacks and supplies."

Each of the backpacks included supplies like erasers, pencils, crayons, spiral-bound paper notebooks, folders, glue sticks and pens.

For more information about the Homeless Education program at County Schools, contact Dowdy at (909) 386-2634.