By Brian Ojanpa
The Free Press
MANKATO —
Hundreds of Mankato children are back in school this week with backpacks and school supplies provided gratis by the Salvation Army.
“When the dust is settled we’ll have helped over 600 children get back to school,” said Salvation Army administrative assistant Robin Tietz.
The back-to-school backpack program has been in place more than a decade. Local families in need register with the organization and backpacks are filled with grade-specific supplies ranging from writing tablets to facial tissues.
“It’s everything a child needs for the first day when he walks into school,” Tietz said.
The retail value of the backpacks and supplies is about $20. Tietz said 1,000 empty backpacks were donated and purchased this year, and any surplus will be held over for next year’s program.
Tietz also recited what has become an unfortunate mantra regarding the program: The need keeps increasing.
She said the Salvation Army’s backpack distribution this year will surpass last year’s by more than 100.
