ROGERS — Robin Campbell said she’s unemployed and has been down on her luck recently. She said she would have a hard time affording the various school supplies her two children — a seventh-grader and a 10th-grader — need for the coming school year.
Then she found out about Samaritan Community Center’s Backpacks for Kids Day. Three thousand backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies were handed out Saturday to families at distribution points in Rogers, Springdale and Gravette.
“It’s a wonderful program and I really appreciate everyone who’s donated to it,” said Campbell, who came to the Samaritan Community Center in Rogers to pick up two backpacks.
By The Numbers
Backpacks
The backpacks were distributed at the three locations of Backpacks for Kids Day on Saturday. Another 284 were handed out at the end of the day to children who didn’t receive vouchers before distribution day.
• Samaritan Community Center in Rogers: 1,206
• Samaritan Community Center in Springdale: 1,141
• Gravette Church of Christ: 369
Source: Staff Report
Supplies for the backpacks came from a region-wide supply drive coordinated by radio station KLRC and Chick-fil-A, Walmart vendors and supply drives held by churches, businesses and individuals.
Saturday’s event, however, was about more than just backpacks. Hairstylists volunteering their time were on hand to give kids free haircuts. Children also got to enjoy games and activities, such as a bounce house and a dunk tank. Food and drinks were provided.
At the Samaritan Community Center in Rogers, representatives of Walmart and Target occupied adjacent booths offering games and activities for the kids.
“It’s such a great example of community spirit,” said Mary Mann, the center’s director of community relations.
This is the 15th year the Samaritan Community Center has distributed school supplies. It started with 200 backpacks in 1998, said Debbie Rambo, center director. This year the center spent about $15,000 on the backpacks it gave away.
The center estimates hundreds of churches, vendors, businesses and individuals volunteered their time or gave money for the event.
“It’s not even a matter of how do we get this done,” Mann said. “It’s how do we fit in everyone who wants to help.”
Desirea Martinez brought her four children to the Rogers site Saturday and left with three backpacks — one for each of her school-age kids.
“As a single mom, it helps me out a lot,” said Martinez, a Rogers resident. “Then with all of the activities, (the kids) have a blast.”
One of Martinez’s sons also got his hair cut there.
Christina Peak from Hairlines in Rogers said she had given 12 haircuts within the first 90 minutes of Saturday’s event.
“It feels great to help other people,” Peak said.
Nearby, volunteers Junnell Aguilar and Cathy Martfeld, both executive assistants in Walmart’s finance department, were working at the backpack distribution table. Both brought their children to assist with the distribution effort.
“We wanted our kids to participate, so they realize how privileged they are,” Martfeld said.
Aguilar and Martfeld raised enough money from their co-workers to buy more than 16,000 items to stash in the backpacks. They also were able to give $4,000 to the Samaritan Community Center.
Aguilar’s 12-year-old son, Xavier Aguilar, was one of the kids who retrieved backpacks from behind the distribution table. He said he enjoyed helping out at the event.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” Xavier said. “You can see all the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get a backpack.”
Any child attending school in Northwest Arkansas in grades kindergarten through 12 was eligible for a backpack and supplies. Vouchers for the backpacks were distributed through locations that assist families in need, including the Samaritan Community Center in Springdale and Rogers, and Share and Care and Feed My Sheep in Gravette.