Community Corner

YFS Back-to-School Backpack Program a Community Success

Youth and Family Services staff and volunteers from the community joined together to raise funds for school supplies for needy children.

With Mercer Island schools welcoming students back last week, a group of citizens, city staff and volunteers were working hard behind the scenes to ensure all students had the supplies they needed to succeed.

The city's (YFS) is coordinating an annual Back to School Backpack Program to provide income-qualified Island families with backpacks for their students filled will all the necessary supplies. So far this year, 64 Island students from 39 families received backpacks to help insure they start school ready to learn.

This effort, however, is not YFS's alone. For the third consecutive year, residents of the  retirement community pooled their funds to purchase backpacks and school supplies. Mothers and daughters from the local chapter of the National Charity League then stepped in with a $355 cash donation for additional supplies and volunteered to fill the backpacks to the unique specifications of each student and school.

"It is great to see the community come together like this to support kids having a good start to the school year with needed school supplies," says YFS Emergency Assistance Coordinator, Cheryl Manriquez.

For information about the program or to receive help outfitting your student with school supplies, contact Manriquez at 206.275.7869 or email her at cheryl.manriquez@mercergov.org.

Find out what's happening in Mercer Islandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Mercer Island