Cambridge temple helps local police collect backpacks for children in need

CBC

7 days ago

The youth group at the Radha Krishna Mandir and Cultural Centre in Cambridge has been collecting backpacks for young people in need.
It's part of the Waterloo Regional Police Service's backpack challenge. The youth group has been collecting backpacks for three years now.
Yashmita Narine is a youth outreach member from the Hindu temple. She says the youth group collected a record number of backpacks this year by rallying up support from temple-goers of all ages.
"Three years ago we were able to do 300. I think last year we got to 1,200," Narine said. This year, with the help of people at the temple, they've gathered 1,400 bags, which they donated to police on Monday.
"When we started the group, it was just a bunch of high school kids," Narine said.
"A lot of these youths that were in need were our age and so it kind of hit home for us having to know that so many kids need backpacks to go to school every year," Narine added. "They're pretty essential."
The annual Waterloo Regional Police Service aims to to collect 5,000 backpacks this year. Along with backpacks, the challenge also collects various school supplies and gift cards.
Cherri Greeno, the director of corporate affairs for the police service, says the program is going strong into its eigth year because of community support.
She said so far, more than 3,000 families have signed on to receive a backpack.
"It's really about giving every child a fair start to the school year. It's about boosting their confidence so they can put their focus on learning and really send them back to school with a smile, feeling confident, feeling proud and ready just to start a successful school year," Greeno said.
WRPS surpassed its donation goal last year by collecting around 6,500 backpacks for children in need.
People who want to make a backpack donation an drop off school supplies at any division throughout Waterloo region until the end of this week.