BY THOMAS GRILLO
MARBLEHEAD — As families prepare for back-to-school this fall, some children lack necessary supplies before the first class bell rings.
For more than a decade, Community of Friends provided more than 6,000 North Shore children with new backpacks filled with everything they need to get a fresh start. Last fall, Spur, a Marblehead nonprofit, was chosen to carry on the tradition.
Spur, whose back-to-school drive will benefit children in Lynn, Marblehead, Swampscott and Salem, has received requests for nearly 700 families that need help.
“Every child deserves to start school on a level playing field,” said Jocelyn Cook, Spur’s executive director. “Every child should have the same opportunity for success as the person sitting next to them.”
So far, donors have spent about $13,000 to support the purchase of 218 backpacks. Each one is packed with school supplies that cost between $54 and $72.
To sponsor, go to www.spur.community?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss and click on “sponsor a backpack.”
Later this month, Spur volunteers will meet at the Jewish Community Center where they will fill the backpacks with school supplies, write a note of well wishes and make sure they are distributed.
Spur was launched to inspire good deeds and mobilize volunteers, Cook said. This is their first year doing the backpacks. They learn about who the needy families are from schools, homeless liaisons and social workers.
Sadly, Cook said not every child who needs a backpack will get one.
“I wish there was a way everyone could have the supplies they needed,” she said.
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.