FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 31, 2021

(West Sacramento, CA) For the sixth year in a row, the Yolo County Children’s Alliance hosted their Back-to-School Backpack and School Supply Giveaway for students in the West Sacramento community. This community-supported  event supplied more than 900 students, from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, with backpacks, school supplies, snack packs, health resources, and more, as families prepare for in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year.

The majority of parents with school-age children that YCCA serves were hit hard financially when the pandemic was in full effect, and are working with a much tighter budget as schools begin to re-open. This event provided much-needed relief, ensuring that these children have everything they need to start the school year strong. 

The event was held in a drive-thru fashion at the Yolo County Children’s Alliance Family Resource Center, located at 1200 Anna Street in West Sacramento, from  9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Along with YCCA, additional vendors included the Yolo County Health and Human Services, who provided vaccines, St. Vincent DePaul, Out of the Box Ministries, Stanford Sierra Youth Solutions, Communicare, the West Sacramento Police Department, and Free Books for Kids. 

“While our local economies are slowly recovering, many of the families that we serve are still struggling financially as a result of the pandemic. As an agency, our mission is to support these families, and especially the children in our community. With our annual backpack giveaway, we hope to offset some of the stress parents may be feeling when budgeting back-to-school expenses,” said Jeneba Lahai, Executive Director of the Yolo County Children’s Alliance. “We want to give every child the tools they need to succeed during the 2021-2022 school year, especially since they will be in the midst of another big change as they re-adjust to in-person learning. We want all the children in our communities to experience a school year full of accomplishments, wonder, and growth.” 

This event has been funded completely by community donations and support from our partners. On Sunday, July 18, Councilmember Quirina Orozco and the organization, West Sac Kids Give Back, hosted a school supply drive directly benefiting this event. 

“Receiving backpacks is so fun for our children, and means so much to us as parents. To be able to have most of our school supply shopping complete, especially for three [grade-school aged] children, is such a blessing,” said M.A., a Yolo County Children’s Alliance client and backpack recipient. 

Other partners who have been pivotal in the planning of this event are the Washington Unified School District, City of West Sacramento and their Police Department, Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, Stanford Sierra Youth and Families, Yolo Federal Credit Union, Travis Credit Union, Waste Management, IKEA of West Sacramento, West Sacramento Councilmember Chris Ledesma, Hawkins Home Loans, Teichert, the Yolo Food Bank, Yolo County Library, Union Pacific, Free Books for Kids, St. Vincent DePaul, Yolo Association of Realtors, First 5 Yolo, and Raley’s.  

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Contact:
Katie Durham
Resource & Development Manager, Yolo County Children’s Alliance
Katie.Durham@yolocounty.org

916-832-9366