With the new school year right around the corner, Madison Social Services is working to ensure all students start off on the right foot, particularly students in need. Officials and volunteers are working to collect school supplies for the Madison Social Service Backpack Program, a program that provides a backpack full of supplies for those Madison students with a registered need.

Social Services Coordinator Wendy Larson, who is in charge of the program, said the program helps to ensure all students in the district start the school year right.

“We try to help provide students here in Madison with new backpacks [and] school supplies. We get some Payless shoe cards, and we get some assistance for our high school students by getting gift cards for them to get supplies for individual classes,” she said.

The program started nearly 20 years ago and Larson said she has seen the need fluctuate. On average, the program helps 45 students across all of the schools.

“Like anything else it goes up and down with the economy,” she said. “Obviously back in 2008 my numbers were very high. It depends on what the circumstances are in the community, but it goes along with unemployment or the number of foreclosures we are seeing in town, etc.”

Larson approves all students who receive a backpack according to financial need. While the number of students many seem high to some, Larson said the program only helps those students whose parents’ request help. Larson said the actual need in the community is higher based on the number of families using the Madison Food Pantry.

Working off of the numbers they have, Larson said she reaches out to a number of different local organizations to obtain supplies and gift cards.

“I get donations from a variety of places,” she said. “Temple Beth Tikvah helps to provide backpacks. The community service volunteers collect supplies. I get the Payless shoe cards through Salvation Army, and I also get the gift cards from Madison Community Services.”

Larson said she believes the program is on track to help all of the students this year, but donations are still needed.

“I already got the backpacks themselves and the Payless shoe cards have come through—it is just the supplies,” she said. “That is hard to know because we base things on grade and what each of the schools have said they require.”

While many community organizations help out with this program, Larson said the recipients remain anonymous.

“The collection and sorting and all of that is done by our community service volunteers who are trained by one of our prevention programs,” she said. “All they are really given is the gender and grade of the student and then the parents come and they pick up these backpacks before school starts.”

The program takes a lot of time and planning, but Larson said the goal is simple.

“Hopefully we can give these kids a chance to start off their school year feeling just as normal as everyone else,” she said.

Those interested in donating or getting involved can contact Wendy Larson at 203-245-5655.