SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Volunteers handed out 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies today to San Diego-area children whose parents are in the military.
The "Back to School Brigade,'' aimed at raising the morale and academic success of kids from military families, was a way to thank the military community, according to an organizer at Operation Homefront-California.
"Our military families deal with financial stresses like many other Americans, but they also have the challenge of meeting these demands when one of the parents id away supporting our freedoms,'' the organization's executive director, Jack Chirrick, said.
Last year more than 31,000 backpacks with school supplies from Dollar Tree stores were donated to children of military families around the country through the "Back to School Brigade'' campaign, according to the organization.
Chirrick said Operation Homefront-California's goal was to pass out 4,150 backpacks to children of military families throughout the state.
The backpacks and school supplies were to be given out from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the San Diego Convention Center.
