Housing Authority gives away backpacks in back to school fair

More than three hundred children have new school supplies for the school year ahead today after the ninth annual Housing Authority Back-To School Fair, funded by the Hunt Family Foundation.

About $30 worth of school supplies were given out to each child Saturday.

Families turned out Saturday morning to the Housing Authority offices,where they also got to meet Paydirt Pete and Jennifer Han.

Families part of section 8 had their children pick out their backpack color, the bags themselves filled with paper, colors, and pencils. Moving onto a health fair the children and parents got a chance to speak with dental clinics and other organizations about leading healthy lives.

The Housing Authority said programs like this help improve family lives.

“There’s no way you can ask a child to succeed if they don’t have what they need to be able to be a student, and that’s what these backpacks are. These are the crayons, the papers, the pens and pencils; this is what you need for a child to be a student,” said Gerald Cichon, the Housing Authority CEO.

Families who are part of Section 8 but did not make it to the giveaway can call the Housing Authority office Monday at (915) 849-3742 and ask if there are backpacks remaining.