WESTBROOK – Just a few days before Aug. 31, Westbrook’s official first day of school, Saccarappa Elementary School Principal Kate Hersom was going over new school supplies she had received through donations.

Among them, a large trash bag filled with brand-new backpacks, and still more bags full of other school supplies, including some spare children’s underwear and socks.

“Holy cow, this is like Christmas!” Hersom said.

Many companies and groups donate school supplies to local schools every year, and this year the Westbrook Children’s Project, a collaborative project between the schools and local charities, has come through again, delivering much-needed goodies to kids whose parents need help with the supplies.

Katie Camplin has been coordinator of the collaborative for the past two years. She said she began the outreach to businesses, churches and other groups several weeks ago.

“The response has been pretty good,” she said.

Among other groups, Camplin said, the United Way of Greater Portland was very enthusiastic. Carter Friend, the United Way’s vice president for community impact, said the organization has been working in schools for years helping to find new ways to get kids to do better.

This year, Friend said, the United Way wanted to focus on getting kids to start the school year properly.

“The supplies are a really important part of that,” he said.

Friend said the United Way reached out to local businesses to help draw in donations. Idexx Laboratories, Friend said, donated $1,000, and Acadia Insurance’s Westbrook office held an employee drive to collect backpacks to donate.

“What we have found is that people love to do stuff like this,” Friend said.

Idexx spokesman Tony Giampetruzzi said this week that the company makes many contributions to the United Way, including funds for school supply donations. In total, Idexx and its employees contributed $377,903 to the United Way in 2010 alone.

“Idexx has been a staunch supporter of the United Way for over a decade now,” he said.

Backpacks are a common need, and a commonly donated item. Camplin said churches alone provided several hundred backpacks, which will be distributed throughout area schools.

Hersom said the numbers of free and reduced-lunch program participants are telling. At Saccarappa and Canal schools, she said, 70 percent of the students are on the program. Many of those students, she said, come to school carrying schoolbooks and other items in plastic bags from the local grocery store.

“Having a backpack to come to school with is kind of an important thing,” she said.

Camplin, who works at the Westbrook Community Center, said she has worked with a number of aid groups, and seen first hand the suffering of families in need. That was part of what spurred her to work harder this year to find donated school supplies.

“This is a stressor for some families,” she said. “They’re worried about providing them for their kids.”

School Superintendent Marc Gousse said he was pleased to see the outreach from the community to the local schools.

“Any support we can get to support our kids and their families is very much appreciated,” Gousse said.

The United Way was so pleased with its first year being involved in the program, the organization plans to help out again next year, Friend said.

“We hope it’s the first year of many. It’s a really great role for us,” he said.

Saccarappa School students in need of a new backpack for the
start of school, like second-grader Trinity Desjardins, found
plenty to choose from during the open house celebration Tuesday
afternoon. After examining the many choices, Trinity picked out a
backpack featuring one of her favorite television shows, “iCarly.”
(Photo by Rich Obrey)

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