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their first day of school because they feel unprepared. Having a new and customized backpack with grade-level school supplies when they arrive on the school grounds boosts their self-confidence and propels their eagerness to learn. Donations and the volunteer work of individuals, families and corporations all make the "Tools for School" backpack program a success. Many supplies are collected from employees in workplaces, and SOWMA holds group events where they fill and customize the backpacks. This year, COVID-19 has kept employees out of offices, curtailed shopping and restricted volunteers from gathering. Still, the pandemic couldn't stop SOWMA's mission. They created social distancing measures that allowed small groups of families, neighborhoods and businesses to help with donations, assembly and distribution. They also created a platform for people to donate backpacks already fully stocked to reduce the need for assembly. Says Heinrichs, "Our Community Outreach Director, Barbara Fox, has done such a wonderful job running the backpack program. We have provided more than 6,000 students with backpacks before the start of this school year. We are so grateful to the donors, the companies and families who stepped in to make sure our students weren't forgotten in 2020." Each backpack is customized for the students' grade, including scientific calculators for high school students. Each backpack also includes a personal, inspirational note of encouragement that other children and volunteers have written. The importance of the backpacks transcends its use as a carrier from point A to point B. For students who live in shelters, the backpack serves as a locker of sorts and a consistent place for them to organize their materials and assignments. The backpack represents a valued, personal area for a child who has little space to call his or her own. For more information on the backpack program, email schoolonwheels@ sowma.org. TUTORING PROGRAM SOWMA currently has 18 tutoring sites at shelters throughout 9 TheSouthShoreMagazine.com Photography by Mal Stanton MCCunney & Heather McCall