Summer Harvest, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing healthy and nutritious food to families in need, successfully conducted a backpack and school supply volunteer day on July 22. Over 30 community volunteers, including members of the National League of Young Men, came together to fill nearly 500 backpacks with essential school supplies such as colored pencils, markers & crayons, pencils, dry erase markers, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and notebooks. These backpacks filled with learning essentials will be distributed to students in the Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and Cypress communities on Saturday, July 29, at Oak Middle School and King Elementary, respectively.
Summer Harvest’s mission is to offer nutritional support to families with children on the free and reduced lunch program during school breaks, ensuring that no child goes hungry. The need for fresh fruits, vegetables, and healthy foods has become even more crucial this summer due to inflation and rising food costs. With dedication and community support, Summer Harvest has already hosted four food distributions out of the planned seven for this summer, serving 600 families, including approximately 1,400 adults and 900 children in the Cypress, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos, and Fountain Valley areas.
According to Executive Director of Summer Harvest, Amy Payne, “The success of the backpack drive is a testament to the incredible generosity of our community members, who generously donated school supplies, and the hard work of our wonderful volunteers who filled the backpacks with back-to-school essentials. We are also grateful for the support and partnership of the school districts in Cypress, Los Alamitos, and Fountain Valley, which enables us to make a meaningful impact on the lives of local students.”
The backpack distribution day is one of Summer Harvest’s most popular events, providing much-needed support to families as they prepare for the upcoming academic year. By ensuring that every child has access to necessary school supplies, Summer Harvest helps families stretch their budgets and paves the way for academic success.
To register to receive food and backpacks, families can sign up at www.summerharvest.us and click the “sign up” button. Summer Harvest is entirely volunteer-run and relies on community donations to continue its vital work. Those wishing to support the organization’s efforts can make a difference by donating at www.summerharvest.us.
This year, Summer Harvest wishes every student a healthy and successful back-to-school season for 2023-2024. Together, we can make a difference and empower our community’s future leaders.
