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Local Back to School Drive in need of community support

August 13, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

Branching Out Support Services, which is a local organization that supports individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, is holding a Back to School Drive that’s being run through the Orangeville Food Bank. 

Participating in the donation drive was motivated by the participants of Branching Out Support Services adult day program, who regularly volunteer at the local food bank and have hosted two food drives in the past.

The supplies needed include backpacks, lunch bags, writing supplies, paper products, glue, calculators, rulers, pencil cases, binders and pencil sharpeners. 

The donations can be left in the box located inside the door of Branching Out Support Services, which is located at 5 First Street.

Kimberly Van Ryn, executive director of Branching Out, noted that the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has created a larger need for school supplies in the community this year.

“A lot of families are experiencing really different financial situations this year…and the price of everything seems to be a little bit higher, which is just another barrier if you’ve lost your job or couldn’t work because of COVID, or whatever the case may be,” she noted.

Van Ryn added that it’s important for youth to have proper school supplies to feel comfortable and succeed throughout the school year. 

“It’s really important socially for kids to have what they need to be able to go back to school, so having a new backpack, and a new lunch bag, and the same things that kids from more affluent families have is really important,” she said. “Every kid deserves to go to their learning environment with the things they need to learn.”

Cost shouldn’t be a barrier to a student’s success, Van Ryn told the Citizen.

“Its all about breaking down barriers when we do programs like this and anything we do with the food bank, I would say, has that kind of spirit underneath it,” she explained. “Let’s break down the barriers that money can sometimes put up for us and make sure people have what they need to get to school healthy and with the right supplies.”

Van Ryn said Branching Out really wants to thank all the community partners involved in the Back to School Drive. 

“Sheryl Morris is a manager at Staples, she is always ready to help us when the phone call comes through or she’s already anticipating some of these needs with some of the things that the corporation doesn’t need anymore, like school supplies,” Van Ryn noted. “Also, the whole team over at the food bank, they empower our program to give back.”

The day staff at Branching Out are a driving force behind organizing the Back to School Drive as well.

“They are constantly thinking of new and creative ideas about ways that they can empower the adults to give back into the community and so they’re an important part of this too,” Van Ryn explained.

But ultimately, it’s the adults of the day program who made it happen and giving back through initiatives such as the Back to School Drive is important for providing them with purpose, according to Van Ryn.

“The projects are really driven by the adults who come here and who are so motivated to give back. They see this as their work in the world and it truly is their work in the world,” she remarked.

Anyone with the aforementioned school supplies is encouraged to drop them off to Branching Out Support Services at 5 First Street before the start of the school year. 

For more information call Branching Out Support Services at (519) 216-0587.

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