BaCK to School Program fills up in less than 60 minutes

On August 2, United Way of Chatham-Kent, Linck, and FreeHelpCK worked together to open a centralized registration portal to administer the BaCK to School Program, with the goal of providing students and families with back-to-school support.

This year, United Way of Chatham-Kent partnered with Linck to provide 650 gift cards and FreeHelpCK provided 300 backpacks. We know the demand is always high, but this year registration was full in less than one hour.

What does this mean for families?

Those who were not able to register on August 2 should keep an eye on Facebook and social media for other agencies and programs that may be opening a back-to-school program. If United Way of Chatham-Kent is made aware of these programs, we will also post about them, but we are not offering any additional back-to-school programming for individuals or families right now.

What does this mean for our community?

The demand for student and family support is higher than ever. Cost of supplies, food, clothing, and other items that are crucial to student success have gone up an average of 5% to 9% since last year.

Your donation means more supplies for back-to-school, less stress for families and a better start for the students in our community. It means more programming, more partnerships with agencies across Chatham-Kent and more opportunities to make a difference.

Donate today, or contact us for sponsorship opportunities that can help students and their families throughout Chatham-Kent.

 

Thank you to the generous sponsors and community members that administrate and support this program:

Giftcards: Linck, Women United, United Way of Chatham-Kent, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Enbridge Fueling Futures, TekSavvy, Maple Mutual Insurance, Re:Find Charity Thrift Shoppe

Backpacks: FreeHelpCK, Giant Tiger, Staples