Barrie group donates over 1,000 backpacks to children in need

Back to school is right around the corner, and it brings a financial burden for many families in the Barrie area.

A local group has taken it upon itself to fill over 1,000 backpacks with supplies for those in need.

PIE Education has been running its back-to-school backpack program for 12 years, and each year has grown to access more families.

"We're always at a minimum of a thousand bags, but over the 12 years, just a ballpark figure, we're at 17,500 backpacks, and we expect to do another 1,500 next year," said Craig Russell, the co-founder of PIE Education.

Russell and former Barrie-area MP Alex Nuttall created the program in 2010 and have been working with local organizations to help distribute the bags across the city.

"We know returning to school can be really expensive and tough on families, especially after the last couple of years there's been a lot of loss in our community, so it's truly wonderful when we're able to provide a bag for families who need it or multiple kids," said Liz Grummett, a member of the fundraising team at Canadian Mental Health Association Simcoe County.

"We've already received so many emails of gratitude from the social workers who have been handing them out to the families," said Jasmine Botter of Simcoe Muskoka Family Connections

On Thursday, to help keep the program growing, PIE Education was presented with a $10,000 cheque raised by The Boots and Hearts Barn Burner Charity Hockey Game, combined with an additional $10,000 raised from the fundraising efforts of PIE Wood Fire Pizza Joint in Barrie.

Anyone interested in getting involved and helping provide additional bags can contact PIE Education on the website.