Tri-County United Way has once again partnered with Nemer Motor Group and The Post-Star to launch the ‘Kids with Packs’ program, benefiting students within Warren, Washington, and Northern Saratoga Counties. The ‘Kids With Packs’ program provides vital school supplies to thousands of students who begin the school year school with a new backpack, fresh school supplies, and other necessary resources needed for a successful academic year.
In this year’s collaborative effort, the program provided close to 500 fully stocked backpacks to 15 different regional partners and school districts within 3 counties. These distributions extended to communities spanning Warren, Washington, and Northern Saratoga Counties.
Leading up to distribution of the school supplies, Laura Jensen, Community Engagement of Tri-County United Way, directly engaged with numerous local educators, superintendents, principals, representatives from Catholic Charities, and school officials to determine the challenges faced by an increasing number of households and communities. This direct engagement identified specific areas within the Tri-County region where there was the highest demand for the program and determined how to allocate resources effectively. As a result, the ‘Kids With Packs’ program took an extra step this year by furnishing more than 30 additional boxes of school supplies for various school districts that are situated within the scope of the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) populations. ALICE households lack the necessary income to meet numerous fundamental necessities, including housing, childcare, and beyond. In the wake of the pandemic, the widespread closure of schools accompanied by the challenges of remote learning significantly impacted students and educational institutions.
This year, the combined organizations saw great success of numerous volunteers supporting the program on ‘Kids With Packs Assembly Day’ held at Nemer Ford in August. Tri-County United Way, along with Nemer Motor Group and The Post Star, extends their heartfelt appreciation to the program’s countless volunteers, including volunteers representing Hudson Headwaters, Catholic Charities of Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, SUNY Adirondack, and Adirondack Chamber of Commerce. The combined organizations also extends their gratitude to Irving Tissue for their generous donation of tissue boxes for each school district.
Kristin Chlopecki, Executive Director of the Tri-County United Way, thanks all involved for making this year’s ‘Kids With Packs’ program a success. This program would not be possible without the contributions from many honorable organizations including the Charles R Wood Foundation, Central New York Foundation, Target, Nemer Motor Group as well as the generous donations from Tri-County United Way’s many donors and supporters.
