• Volunteers fill 220 backpacks with back-to-school supplies for low-income, newcomer, and refugee families.
• Islamic Relief Canada has pledged to provide 3,000 backpacks in its fifth back-to-school campaign.

As the back-to-school season approaches, many families face significant financial difficulties to provide school supplies for their children.

Seeking to help low-income parents, Islamic Relief Canada has pledged to provide 3,000 backpacks and essential back-to-school supplies for vulnerable youth, CBC reported.

Ahmed Syed is one of the volunteers who took a break before his upcoming medical school admissions test to help stuff backpacks with school supplies to help younger students get their education.

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“I wanted to help the community. I feel like all kids should be given everything they need to have equal opportunity,” Syed said at the London Muslim Mosque, where he was one of the volunteers with Islamic Relief Canada. 

Growing up in a family that struggled financially, Syed said he only realized how difficult things were when he became older.

“When you give them the school materials that they need, that every other kid will have, it makes them feel that there isn’t any disparity and that they’re equal to the other kids,” he said.

Giving out 220 backpacks to low-income, newcomer, and refugee families living in and around London, Sunday’s event is part of the fifth country-wide back-to-school campaign by the Islamic charity.

3000 Backpacks

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The backpacks included pencil cases, crayons, scissors, calendars, water bottles, notebooks, glue sticks, pencils, sharpeners, lined paper, rulers, calculators, and erasers.

The backpacks were later distributed to kids at the Anova Shelter, the Muslim Resource Centre, the London Muslim Mosque, and the John Howard Society in Sarnia.

Though the charity pledged to provide 2500 backpacks, the number is close to 3000 already, said Saima Sarwar, the regional fundraising specialist at Islamic Relief Canada.

“That’s 1,000 more than last year. Every year we see the need increasing,” she said.

Islamic Relief Canada is an international aid and development charity working to end poverty, illiteracy, and disease.

The charity also provides emergency disaster relief and spearhead development projects in multiple sectors, including education, income generation, orphan support, health and nutrition, and water and sanitation.