Ottawa families heading back to school this year are getting a little extra help, thanks to the generosity of two local organizers who spent the summer making sure kids in need wouldn't show up on day one without the basics.
Dave Thompson and Tammy Allarie organized the donation of 170 full backpacks stuffed with school supplies, from notebooks and pencils to the kind of everyday essentials that can add up to a real financial strain for families heading into a new school year. The pair worked to gather donations and pack the bags so they could be distributed to Ottawa kids ahead of the first bell.
A Community Effort
Back-to-school season is expensive. Between binders, calculators, gym clothes, and the ever-growing list of classroom supplies teachers send home, outfitting even one child for September can cost well over a hundred dollars, and that's before backpacks or shoes. For families already stretched thin, that bill can be the difference between a smooth start to the school year and a stressful one.
That's the gap Thompson and Allarie set out to close. By rallying donors and volunteers across the city, they were able to assemble 170 backpacks, each one ready to hand off to a student who might otherwise have started the year without the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.
Why It Matters for Ottawa
Initiatives like this one are a reminder of how much community-driven generosity shapes everyday life in Ottawa. School supply drives don't often make headlines, but they quietly make a difference for hundreds of local families every September, easing pressure on parents and giving kids one less thing to worry about as they walk into a new classroom.
Ottawa has no shortage of neighbours willing to step up when it matters, and this backpack drive is a good example of that spirit in action. It also highlights a need that persists year after year: even in a city with strong social services and schools, the cost of getting ready for September can be a real burden for lower-income households.
Getting Involved
Drives like this one typically rely on donated supplies, cash contributions to cover bulk purchases, and volunteers willing to help sort and pack. Community groups, local businesses, and individual Ottawa residents often pitch in together to make totals like 170 backpacks possible.
For Ottawa parents and kids who received one of the bags, the gesture means starting the school year with the supplies they need already in hand, no scrambling for pencils or binders on the first day. For everyone else, it's a small but meaningful snapshot of the kind of grassroots support that keeps showing up across the city when it's needed most.
As another school year gets underway, efforts like this one from Dave Thompson and Tammy Allarie are a good reminder that community generosity remains one of Ottawa's strongest assets.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
