There were 123 children across Lismore who started the school year with an extra helping hand thanks to Lismore’s Operation Backpack.
The Lismore community are central to the program as it is shoppers and the community who donate school supplies that are distributed to local primary school children and families in need of practical support.
Operation Backpack has been running since 2019 at the Lismore Square Shopping Centre in collaboration with St Vincent de Paul Society NSW (Vinnies NSW).
‘The initiative, which takes place from December to January each year, is aimed at providing essential school items for local children as they gear up for the school year ahead,’ said Briony Moore from Vinnies NSW.
‘The backpacks and school supplies were all donated by local shoppers and were then packed by our teams before being distributed in the community.’
The generosity of the community meant they were able to distribute backpacks to 123 children from across six local schools – Lismore Public School, Lismore South Public School, Lismore Heights Public School, Goonellabah Public School, Richmond River High School and Woodenbong Central School.
‘They were provided with fully equipped backpacks plus additional supplies to commence their school year, as part of Operation Backpack,’ said Briony.
‘The support with Operation Backpack is part of the larger assistance that our members provide in the region. In the last year, our members in the Lismore Central Council assisted more than 16,000 people, with material and financial assistance.’
