School supplies giveaway for military families ends Friday
Ella, left, and Hunter Maas of Bonners Ferry pick out school supplies at the Back-to-School Brigade at the Idaho Army National Guard in Post Falls. Ella is a preschool student and Hunter is in kindergarten. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Rzepa
Bree Maas, 9, from Bonners Ferry, picks out school supplies at the Back-to-School Brigade at the Idaho Army National Guard post in Post Falls. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Rzepa
From left, Eli, fourth grade; Blake, 10th grade; and Brayden Lorchan, sixth grade, children of Jesse Lorchan, Sergeant First Class, of Post Falls pick out school supplies at the annual Back-to-School Brigade at the Idaho Army National Guard in Post Falls. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Rzepa
Around $8000 in school supplies were donated through local Dollar Tree drives to the Back-to-School Brigade, a program for military families. The giveaway runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Idaho Army National Guard post in Post Falls until Friday. Photo courtesy of Cassandra Rzepa
Notebooks, pencils, glue sticks and more.
Approximately $8,000 of school supplies gathered through local Dollar Tree drives are available for military families at the Idaho Army National Guard in Post Falls until 3 p.m. on Friday.
“It had every single item on the kids list from three different schools,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jesse Lorchan from Post Falls. “It would have altogether cost us over $800 in school supplies.”
Lorchan has three children in grade school and said being able to take advantage of the program is a huge deal for them.
Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit organization that supports military families, partners with Dollar Tree Inc. annually to put on the Back-to-School Brigade. Since the program’s beginning in 2008, more than $50 million in school supplies have been distributed. The supplies are collected at Dollar Tree store drives from July through August through patron donations.
“It's proven to be a great way to get the community involved in supporting the local military,” said Cassandra Rzepa, facilitator and soldier and family readiness specialist out of Post Falls. “It's an awesome opportunity to bring multiple community entities together to really just come together and support the local military families.”
Rzepa said last year the program was able to support 102 people with school supplies.
“I appreciate the program more than I think Cassandra realizes,” said Tiffany Maas of Bonners Ferry. “With shoes being as expensive as they are, and clothes being as expensive as they are, it helps ease the burden on all the supplies, and those are expensive too.”
Kyle Maas, a retired member of the National Guard, and Tiffany Maas have four children from preschool to sixth grade participating in the program. Tiffany Maas said the drive from Bonners Ferry is totally worth it and she has registered her children for the last three years.
“It actually helps,” Tiffany Maas said. “It just makes life a lot less stressful.”
To take advantage of the giveaway, Rzepa said she prefers military families to pre-register on Eventbrite at North Idaho Back to School Brigade 2021. Supplies can be picked up between 8:30 a.m and 3 p.m. on weekdays through Friday.
