Tuesday at The Petroleum Club, the Lafayette Kiwanis Club began its fifth annual Backpack Project.
Members filled over 200 bags with school supplies and other items that foster children will need for the upcoming school year.
The bags will then be sent off to Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of South Louisiana (CASA of SOLA) who will deliver the bags to foster kids in Acadiana. A child who has been removed from their home and placed into a foster home must return to school within three days of removal as per the Department of Child and Family Services. This may mean that a child will attend a different school based on the location of the family, and they may need new school supplies.
CASA covers the 15th Judicial District Court including Lafayette, Acadia, and Vermilion Parishes. On average, they represent 200 children per year.
Chair of The Backpack Project Stephanie LeBlanc explained that, even with the different circumstances students will be greeted with as they return to school this fall, it's important to continue to help foster children in the area.
"Everyone still needs to go back to school. Even if they are going back to school virtually, they still need the supplies to learn," LeBlanc said. "So we felt it was very important that not only if they weren't gong to a physical school, if they were still at home, they still needed the supplies at home. This is just one more opportunity to help the children in our community."
Learn more about The Backpack Project here.
More photos from today's event:
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