Group Donates Free Backpacks to Needy

For 205 needy elementary students around Thousand Oaks, hunter green, burgundy and navy backpacks stuffed with school supplies will be free this week, courtesy of the nonprofit Assistance League of Conejo Valley.

Through an annual project dubbed Operation School Bell, the Assistance League stuffed the knapsacks with age-appropriate supplies including crayons, pencils, paper, markers, dividers, scissors, binders, pens, erasers and rulers.

The fully loaded packs, provided by corporate and private donations, are worth about $25 each. But the investment in education will pay lifelong dividends, said league President Georgianna Harris.

“The purpose of the backpack is to give children the necessary tools of the trade so they feel equal to their peers and to offer them an opportunity for self-respect and self-esteem,” she said.

The league, through its Operation School Bell, last year provided 50 backpacks to youngsters in need of assistance. Next year, the year-old, 40-member service group expects to donate about 500.

The choice of backpacks was made by principals, said the Assistance League’s Kip Orloff. “What’s the greatest need in some school districts might be clothing or shoes,” she said. “In this district it was school supplies. That was the most immediate need.”

The backpacks went to Glenwood, Park Oak, Manzanita, Conejo and Walnut elementary schools, where they will be distributed by school principals. The group also donated more than 100 daily assignment calendars to Moorpark Continuation High School.

For information about the project or the Assistance League of the Conejo Valley, call 497-1080.