For over 15 years, Merrick Community Services has hosted an Annual Backpack and School Supply Distribution event, preparing East Side Saint Paul youth for their next year of school.
A new school year will soon be upon us. Join us at Merrick Community Services on
Saturday, August 19th for our Annual Backpack Giveaway event.
An organization sponsorship in the amount of $250, $500 or $1,000 can go a long way in getting supplies and backpacks to East Side youth. Event sponsors will be acknowledged at the event, in our quarterly newsletter, on our website and will be given a table at our annual fundraising event. We are also seeking presenting sponsorship status which includes recognition at all three MCS events: Backpack Giveaway, Holiday Share and UpLift.
If interested, please contact Kate Kelly, Director of Development, at kkelly@merrickcs.org or at (651) 219-5557.
You can drop these off at Merrick Community Services between the hours of 10 am and 3 pm Monday through Thursday. Commonly needed supplies include:
Scientific Calculators/Graphing Calculators
USB Sticks
Mechanical Pencils
College lined notebooks
Ball point pens
3 ring binders
Rulers/Protractors
White out
Planners
To best serve our event attendees, we need volunteers to assist in distributing supplies and backpacks, directing traffic and being a welcoming presence.
Questions? Please contact Amy Votel at avotel@merrickcs.org or at (651) 348-6568.
Raising money or collecting donations for a worthy cause can be a way for colleagues, friends, or family to share a fun and meaningful activity together. Gather a group together and see which individual can raise the most money or collect the most school supplies. Don’t forget to celebrate the difference you’ve collectively made!
Know someone who would be interested in contributing to this event? Send them our way! We’d love to connect and share more about the importance of the event.
The joy of giving your time and treasure is that it will go directly to benefit East Side youth and families.
Statistics on the East Side are stark, reflecting economic disparities:
• MCS’ primary service area has one of the highest rates of food insecurity among Minnesota counties
• 10% of Ramsey County residents (1 in 10 adults) experience food insecurity. This is twice the rate of our surrounding metro counties.
• About 45% of East Side households are at or below 200% of the federal poverty line (about $49K for a family of 3)
• In 2021, approximately 25% of East Side working age adults were unemployed
Registration Questions:
Crystal Friedman
(651) 478-1089
cfriedman@merrickcs.org
Donation & Volunteer Questions:
Amy Votel
(651) 348-6568
avotel@merrickcs.org
