Salvation Army gives away hundreds of free backpacks in Waltham
By Mike Sullivan, WBZ-TV
WALTHAM - Students lined up for blocks to snag a free backpack from the Salvation Army in Waltham Monday morning. Those smiling faces began showing up before the event began at 10 a.m.
"I like that it had hearts, and one of my favorite colors on it," youngster Angelica Nunez Martinez said.
The organization had 600 backpacks to give away. The Salvation Army says the average cost of school supplies is roughly $650 per child. With the need so great, they expanded the giveaway to include preschool students through high school students.
"She's going to have something to bring her books and lunch to school with every day that we don't have to pay for," said Dan Panaggio, as he looked at his daughter Aurora and her new heart-covered backpack.
The Salvation Army says 9% of families in Waltham live below the poverty line. This giveaway not only gets these children ready for school, but introduces parents to all the Salvation Army has to offer.
"I heard one of the moms say I know we can come here for extra assistance too. They heard we have a soup kitchen," said Lt. Nicole Fullop with the Salvation Army, "I had one of the children walk out and say, 'This is the best thing. I got the one that I wanted.'"
If you missed Monday's giveaway, the Salvation Army will have a bigger event this Thursday. They will be handing out 3,000 backpacks at the Kroc Center in Dorchester. The giveaway will go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.