They fought over the pretty pink backpack, admits Gala Restrepo, but her two daughters Maria and Patricia were ecstatic when each girl received packs from the Salvation Army.
Restrepo’s younger daughter Patricia, however, is the lucky girl who will carry the pink backpack on the first day of school.
“They would have fought even if both backpacks had been pink,” Restrepo said. “They wouldn’t want the same colour.”
There are still a few school supplies she needs before the girls go back to school, but Restrepo said the donations have helped.
Last year, the Salvation Army and Sleep Country Canada collected and distributed almost 13,000 backpacks to low-income Calgary families, said spokesperson Pam Goodyear. This year, they expect and hope to donate even more.
“This way, they will be able to go back to school without feeling singled out because they don’t have what other children have,” Goodyear said.
The Salvation Army is looking for donors to help with school supplies such as rulers, pencils, notebooks, and sometimes even dictionaries and calculators. For more information, visit sleepcountry.ca or ab.salvationarmy.ca/events.htm.
