Success! Village Donors Provide More Than 1,000 Hartford Children with New School Supplies and Food

Community, corporate partners team up to ease financial stress for local families

Hartford, Conn. Just in time for the first day of school, more than 1,000 Hartford students received brand-new backpacks, school supplies and food thanks to many donors who contributed to a back-to-school drive hosted by The Village for Families & Children, in partnership with Staples. The new supplies will give children what they need to feel confident and prepared as they start school tomorrow.

Hundreds of the backpacks and supplies were distributed at an event at M.D. Fox Elementary School on Monday. Families also received grocery bags filled with healthy Goya Foods products—part of a donation of 6,000 pounds of food the company gave to the back-to-school drive through its Goya Gives initiative.

“We’re incredibly grateful to our community and all of the partners who stepped up to support this effort and ensure children in Greater Hartford have the essential items needed to begin the school year,” said Village President and CEO Galo Rodirguez. “When children have the tools they need to learn and feel good about themselves, they’re in a better place to thrive and succeed. Everyone who contributed to this effort is helping make that a reality for local children.”

The Village Back-to-School Drive is an annual effort to help ease local families’ back-to-school costs. Generous supporters of the Back-to-School Drive include Connecticut Sun, Co-Communications, Goodwill of Western and Northern CT, Goya Foods, Empower, Pepperidge Farms, PKF, Prolific 1, RCN Capital, Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport, Symetra, Sysco, Ticket Network, Travelers, Unitarian Society, Vertafore, The Village’s four Second Chance Shops and individual donors.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and staff from Hartford Public Schools, Staples, Travelers, Goya Foods, The Connecticut Sun and The Village were at M.D. Fox Elementary to distribute supplies and wish students a great start to the new school year.

The Village runs a preschool, after-school programs, partners with eight Hartford Public Schools and offers more than 40 programs to help children and teens succeed and support healthy development of their families. Supplies were provided to children in these programs.

About The Village
The Village for Families & Children was one of the first agencies in the country to provide homes for neglected children. Today, The Village provides a full range of behavioral health, early and childhood youth development, substance use treatment, and support services for children, families and adults in the Greater Hartford region. Learn more at thevillage.org.

Contact:
Sarah Thompson, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications,
The Village for Families & Children (c) 860-751-4179, sthompson@thevillage.org