What to Know
- Wednesday, Aug. 10 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.; a "community meal" for volunteers is included
- Big Sunday at 6111 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles
- Volunteers will fill over 3,000 backpacks with school supplies as well as handwritten notes; a special card of hope will be included in each backpack
A backpack is something akin to a soft treasure chest, a small but formidable vessel that can hold all the wonders of the world, or at least those portals that give kids passage to knowledge, curiosity, and flights of imaginative fancy.
Receiving one of these wondrous items can start a student down a powerful path of learning, and if there's a kind note of encouragement inside?
That, too, is more than a little bit of magic.
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Big Sunday, the pitch-in powerhouse behind so many of our region's major give-back events, hopes to fill over 3,000 backpacks for students around the region, all to help families "during these tough economic times."
The moving mission behind the large-scale volunteer effort?
That "... parents will hopefully be able to focus their more limited funds on other household needs, and teachers will hopefully see their students starting the school year together on a more level playing field."
How can you play an important part? Stop by Big Sunday's Melrose Avenue headquarters on Wednesday evening, Aug. 10, and fill backpacks with papers, folders, pencils, erasers, and everything a student might need.
Oh yes, and the all-important handwritten notes and cards.
Every backpack will include a note wishing the student well, and a happy, successful year, and if you'd like to pen one of these encouraging greetings, or several?
You can do so during the event, which will take place outdoors in the Big Sunday parking lot. (Volunteers age 5 and over must be vaccinated, do note.)
The backpacks, once full and brimming with hope and cheer for the year, will then head to a number of places around our area, including LAUSD Homeless Education Office, Harbor UCLA Pediatrics, and East Los Angeles Women's Center.
Can't make the Aug. 10 event but want to help out? You can sponsor a backpack for $25, or donate supplies (hosting a collection is another great option).
For everything you need to know about volunteering, donating money or supplies, and lending a hand and hope at this major effort, visit the Big Sunday site now.
