With the cost of returning to school on the rise each year for kids and their families in Victoria, two local organizations have teamed up to give them a hand.
Soap for Hope, which provides vulnerable people with access to essential hygiene products, is partnering with The Mustard Seed to support its Fair Start for Kids program, offering 600 hygiene kits to help kids feel confident when they go back to school.
The Fair Start program has been running for almost 20 years, supplying kids with all the essentials, including a backpack, a new pair of running shoes, a gift certificate for a local grocery store and grade appropriate school supplies.
“We now have the pleasure of the addition of Soap for Hope providing hygiene kits to go along with them,” said Janice James, manager of community relations and sponsorship for The Mustard Seed. “Which is great because the kids can put them in their backpack and take them to school if they need to.”
“We're so excited that we're able to connect with Mustard Seed and do this for the kids,” added Mackenzie Kurta, corporate and community relations for Soap for Hope.
The hygiene kits won’t just benefit the children, thanks to Soap for Hope’s partnership with the HarbourCats Baseball Club, the whole family will benefit.
“Every donation collected at the HarbourCats games will be going into the hygiene kits,” said Kurta. “So the kits are going to be family size. We want to make sure that the whole family is supported.”
Registration for the program is now closed, with all 600 spots now taken, an indication that demand for support is on the rise.
"The need is huge,” said James, who estimates that back to school costs can average around $400 per student. “We still get people inquiring if we can do last minute registrations. School supplies are very expensive these days, it is mind-boggling. You used to be able to just survive on pencils and paper!”
This year’s back to school packs will be handed out at an event on Aug. 9 and 10, with both organizations in attendance.
For more information about the Fair Start for Kids program, visit: mustardseed.ca/fair-start.
Find out more about Soap for Hope here: www.soapforhopecanada.ca.
