800 backpacks, one 7-year-old, and one dad are on a mission to provide school essentials to those who need them most.
“What we’re trying to do is ease the load for parents, teachers, and students heading into the school year,” said Robert Schuster.
Schuster says he came up with the “Give Back With Backpacks” campaign to teach his daughter the importance of giving back to the local community. 7-year-old Skylar says she learned that she should always help other people.
“I have personal friends who are teachers who constantly tell me they end up paying the overlap for what parents cannot come up with,” Schuster said.
He started this Go Fund Me, with the goal of raising enough money to buy 800 backpacks, and already it’s exceeding expectations.
“Hopefully we can teach an entire generation of the kids this age that if we all come together and support unity and positivity, the world can do incredible things.”
Schuster says his house is turning into a warehouse, and Skylar says the delivery drivers are popping up every day. They’re purchasing some of the backpacks locally, and some online. The backpacks are averaging close to $10 apiece.
They are hoping to partner with about eight different locations around Western New York to spread the backpacks across the area, to those who need it most.
“We’re going to make sure that anyone who helps us, the money is used in the most efficient way possible,” he said.
