By Mike Sullivan, WBZ-TV
WALTHAM – College students lined up for blocks to snag a free backpack from the Salvation Military in Waltham Monday morning. These smiling faces started exhibiting up earlier than the occasion started at 10 a.m.
“I like that it had hearts, and considered one of my favourite colours on it,” teen Angelica Nunez Martinez mentioned.
The group had 600 backpacks to provide away. The Salvation Military says the typical price of faculty provides is roughly $650 per youngster. With the necessity so nice, they expanded the giveaway to incorporate preschool college students by way of highschool college students.
“She’s going to have one thing to carry her books and lunch to high school with day-after-day that we do not have to pay for,” mentioned Dan Panaggio, as he checked out his daughter Aurora and her new heart-covered backpack.
The Salvation Military says 9% of households in Waltham dwell beneath the poverty line. This giveaway not solely will get these youngsters prepared for varsity, however introduces dad and mom to all of the Salvation Military has to supply.
“I heard one of many mothers say I do know we will come right here for further help too. They heard we have now a soup kitchen,” mentioned Lt. Nicole Fullop with the Salvation Military, “I had one of many youngsters stroll out and say, ‘That is the most effective factor. I obtained the one which I needed.'”
In case you missed Monday’s giveaway, the Salvation Military could have a much bigger occasion this Thursday. They are going to be handing out 3,000 backpacks on the Kroc Heart in Dorchester. The giveaway will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
