NASHUA — Organizers at the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter are working to ensure the city’s most vulnerable students start the new academic year on a positive note by providing them what they need for school.

The nonprofit’s Backpacks For Back To School program began collecting backpacks and other school supplies Monday for families trying to live on minimum wage, staying at shelters or coming to the soup kitchen for food. In lending a helping hand to those who need it most, NSKS staff are working with their client families to provide eligible children in grades K-12 with a new backpack, stuffed with grade-appropriate supplies needed for the upcoming semester.

“We have an obligation to help everyone in our community who is vulnerable or at risk, but certainly those who are most vulnerable are kids,” Executive Director Michael Reinke said.

NSKS will seek donations through Aug. 9. A list of accepted items is available online at, https://nsks.org/project/nsks-backpacks-for-back-to-school/.

“That does not mean what comes after we won’t take,” NSKS caseworker Juana Fields said. “After the 9th, then we have volunteers coming in to stuff the backpacks to try to bring all this stuff together. That takes a couple weeks of us preparing for that.”

Fields said organizers are in need of backpacks, notebooks, pencil sharpeners, rulers and flash drives. Once supplies have been collected, volunteers will fill each backpack accordingly in time for families to come by and pick them up on Aug. 20.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 20, those who are eligible will be provided with a backpack right at NSKS located at 2 Quincy St.

Fields said if someone cannot make it during that time, to reach out to her to make other arrangements. She can be reached at 603-889-7770 ext. 115 or juana@nsks.org.

Fields said 1,500 or so backpacks stuffed with supplies are given away each year.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.

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