‘Operation Backpack’ gives boost to Lismore families this school year

In the northeast corner of NSW where the community is still rebuilding after a series of devastating floods, some Lismore households are struggling to keep afloat in the current cost of living crisis.

Back to school expenses can mean additional financial stress for Australian families at the beginning of the year, and purchasing essential school supplies, such as stationery, lunch boxes and uniforms, might feel unachievable.

A yearly appeal is held through St Vincent de Paul Society NSW to reduce back to school expenses for families experiencing hardship in and around Lismore. The collection bin, placed inside Lismore Square shopping centre, prompts shoppers to leave donations over the Christmas holidays and in the lead up to the new school year.

Rosetta Leo, who works in Member and Community Engagement in the North East of NSW, said that “once again, the shoppers at Lismore Shopping Square have demonstrated their generosity by donating back to school items to our yearly appeal”. The local community filled the donation bin with pens and highlighters, note pads, pencil cases, backpacks, and other essential items that children need as their summer holidays end.

Six young adult members of the Frassati conference volunteered their time to collect and prepare the donated supplies for distribution. “It kind of felt like I was Santa gathering gifts and putting them in a sack. I hope maybe these kids will feel that these are great gifts and perhaps it will give them greater confidence at school,” said Cameron, who assisted in packing items like coloured markers and drink bottles into the backpacks. Rory, another volunteer, said that “it was a really happy experience working with others to help this good cause leading up to the back to school period.”

A late contribution of supplies from the Country Women’s Association (CWA) was added to the collection from Lismore Square. Rosetta gratefully accepted the supplementary items, which included “four backpacks with a heap of stationery and drink bottles”. At this point, additional backpacks had to be purchased to cater for the abundance of donated materials.

Rosetta worked tirelessly to contact school principals, finding out where the backpacks would be needed the most. She said that a total of 43 backpacks, jam packed to the brim with stationery, were delivered to five different schools where they could be distributed to grateful families. Passionate educators and school staff were delighted with the gifts for disadvantaged kids entering their classrooms. One school receptionist exclaimed "wow, that's amazing!" when she peeked inside a treasure-filled backpack.

In the greater Lismore region, St Vincent de Paul Society provided over $1.1 million of assistance in the past 6 months. Close to 10,000 people were assisted, which is a 15% increase to the previous year. Of those reaching out for assistance, 50% were experiencing housing stress and 48% needed help with paying bills.

Find out more about volunteering for Vinnies or the Vinnies NSW Young Adults program.