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Donated backpacks help students in need

Brian Wilkinson

(Updated: Friday, August 27, 2010, 12:59 PM)

Mountain Area schools got a helping hand last week as donated backpacks and school supplies were delivered throughout the area to assist students in need.

Ashley Zendner divided up the 100 backpacks and boxes of pencils, crayons, notebooks, erasers and folders she has collected over the past six weeks and delivered them last Thursday to Wasuma, Rivergold, North Fork and Raymond elementary schools and Oak Creek Intermediate School.

This is Zendner's fourth year spearheading the backpack drive.

Zendner had a full car last Thursday as she made the rounds to the schools. She delivered 18 backpacks and two boxes of supplies to Wasuma Elementary School.

Kirk Huckabone, principal at Wasuma Elementary School, was pleased to receive Zendner's delivery and acknowledges the need.

"Children are coming back to school without a backpack or school supplies," Huckabone said. "Often we see students using plastic shopping bags to carry their books around."

Huckabone said the school staff confidentially gets backpacks to the students who need them the most.

"The community has been very generous by donating backpacks and funds for this project," Zendner said.

Zendner was assisted this year by Jami Fenton and Candi MacAlpine from the Destiny Training Center run by Oakhurst Outpouring. They received an additional 72 backpacks from Encore Fine Cabinetry in Southern California, along with business and community donations, which were used to buy supplies.

Those backpacks and supplies were distributed to Yosemite High School, continuation schools, Chawanakee Digital Middle School and Minarets High School.

Fenton said it has been estimated that 20% of the children in the community live at or below the poverty level.

"I am hoping that at some point the community becomes more aware that individuals can pitch in at all times of the year to help the underprivileged, not just during the Christmas holiday season," Fenton said.

Donation bins were available during the drive at Pak-N-Page, The Grind, Sierra Tel Business Center, Curves for Women, Starbucks, Central Valley Community bank, Wood Chopper's Supply, Nelson Press and the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce office.

Bingo players at The Sierra Senior Center also donated backpacks and supplies to Oakhurst Elementary School. With assistance from the Positive Living Center, Virginia Woods and Ruth Schiller recently delivered the supplies to Kathleen Murphy, school principal. Woods is chairperson of the Sierra Senior Center bingo program, and Schiller is president of the Sierra Senior Society.