BALDWIN PARK – Students from Baldwin Park Unified’s Sierra Vista High School hunted for the perfect backpack during Kaiser Permanente’s eighth annual Backpack and School Supply Donation Campaign on Aug. 1 to kick off the school year.
Kaiser Permanente’s Baldwin Park Medical Center provided the school with more than 110 backpacks filled with school supplies – and many are still available for students to pick up once the academic year begins Aug. 14.
“Finding a backpack and supplies in one place is really helpful and now I’m ready to start the school year,” said Abner Santos, a junior at Sierra Vista High School.
The selection ranged from bright backpacks accompanied with matching water bottles to neutral-toned, practical packs. Students browsed through the contents to find a variety of supplies, which included notebooks, binders, highlighters and pencil boxes.
More than 140 backpacks and supplies were made available for Santa Fe Elementary students on Aug. 3 and more than 110 backpacks will be handed out to Sierra Vista Junior High students at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4.
“It’s cool that my parents can save money and that I can get what I need for school,” Sierra Vista sophomore Viviana Molina said.
Baldwin Park District teamed up with Kaiser Permanente in 2009 to ensure students would be ready to start the school year with the necessary supplies. About 86 percent of students from Baldwin Park Unified come from low-income households. Each year, three different schools are selected for the giveaway.
“We have a deep appreciation for our partners at Kaiser Permanente, and for the continuous generosity that they show to our students and their families,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “We are grateful for their donations, which will ensure that every student starts the year prepared.”