Mayor London N. Breed will join nonprofit and community based organizations to distribute thousands of backpacks to students throughout San Francisco. Over the next two weeks, the Mayor and several organizations will host 29 backpack giveaways and will distribute over 5,000 backpacks and school supplies to help prepare students for the new school year. Many of the giveaway events will also offer food and entertainment, and will provide families with information about health, employment, and other social services in their neighborhood.
“Providing students with the materials they need for the new school year allows them to focus on their education,” said Mayor Breed. “We know that San Francisco is an expensive place to live, especially for families that are raising children. These backpack giveaways are one way we can help ease the financial burden for our families and make our City more equitable. We want students to be excited about going back to school and to have the tools they need to succeed.”
Mayor Breed and the Office of Housing and Community Development are partnering with organizations, including the Salvation Army, United Playaz, HOPE SF, the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, Mission Economic Development Association, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, and Collective Impact to provide the backpacks and school supplies.
“Helping our families in the Western Addition and throughout the city get a strong start back-to-school shows that San Francisco is delivering on our promise to ensure all of our residents—especially our low-income families—share in the prosperity and opportunity of our City,” said Brittany Ford, Mo’Magic Director. “These communities are our communities, our San Francisco.”
San Francisco is home to thousands of students in need of financial support both inside and outside the classroom. Providing over 5,000 backpacks to students and hosting back-to-school fairs is a way of responding to those needs while also connecting students and their families to resources that can help support academic achievement throughout the year.
Mayor Breed is committed to making San Francisco more equitable, and ensuring all students have access to a high quality education is an important part of that effort. Yesterday, Mayor Breed signed the City budget for Fiscal Years 2019-20 and 2020-21, which includes $10 million over two years to retain educators at schools that serve historically underserved populations and experience high teacher turnover. The budget also invests $3.5 million for peer resources teachers and other staffing to support the mental and physical wellbeing of high school and middle school students.