Heavy rain from last week and Tropical Storm Henri has had widespread impacts not only on homes and power lines but also donations for students before they go back to school.
The Village was set to deliver 500 bookbags to Hartford and surrounding area students before the first day of school next week but the day to deliver the bags may now be pushed back due to last week's rain and yesterday's storm.
"They rely on these supplies and backpacks to really get their school year started in a great way," said Derek Slap, vice president of advancement at The Village.
The clean-up is underway in the basement of The Village's central office. Drenched cardboard boxes and book bags wrapped in plastic bags are now ruined after last week's storm and remnants of Tropical Storm Henri.
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"If there's any obstacles to get into school, we want to be able to remove them and that's why we started this and that's why it's become so important," said Hector Goynn, chief operating officer at The Village.
Every year, the non-profit raises money and collects donations for their book-bag drive to give to low-income students before the first day of school.
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This year alone, The Village collected 500 bookbags for Hartford and surrounding students. At least 100 bookbags were ruined due to flooding at their central office.
"For the kids to have what they need, first of all, it helps them to prepare mentally as well as physically having the items," said Dr. Lanie Taylor, medical director at The Village. "It's hard financially for families right now in addition to families having, you know, parents not being able to access jobs."
The organization was able to salvage some of the school supplies and PPE for students. The Village is launching a social media campaign in hopes of getting a little assistance to provide what some leaders say is critical for the entire year.
"The work at The Village is super important and one small but important piece of that is getting families and the students ready to go back to school," said Slap.
If you would like to find out more information about helping The Village, click here.
