1,000 backpacks given away by Green Acres Mall, community organizations

As families struggle to afford the cost of living on Long Island, the Green Acres Mall along with volunteers came together to take away a bit of the stress of back to school shopping.

A thousand backpacks were packed by community volunteers at the Green Acres Mall to be given away Aug. 19 and 20. Parent teacher association members, Girl Scouts, and a slew of other volunteers came together to pack the bags.

“This is a larger quantity than what we’ve done before, but we felt that the need was here,” said Jill Bromberg, marketing manager for Green Acres Mall. “I didn’t have a single bag left at the end of the day.”

For each day of the mall’s second annual Back to School Bash, 250 backpacks were given away. The event also offered family fun, as kids were entertained by a variety show, dance parties, glitter tattoos, face painting, balloon art, and more.

“It was awesome, a lot of people came up to me and told me how happy they were,” Bromberg said. “Because not only did they get backpacks, they were entertained and the kids had fun.”

Several other organizations gave away the other 500 backpacks stuffed with the elementary must haves provided by the mall. The Gateway Christian Center in Valley Stream was given 150 bags to give away to the students Aug. 19.

The Gateway Christian Center has done several backpack giveaways over the years, but this year it did not have to supply the bags for this event since the backpacks were donated by the mall.

“Every time we (gave away backpacks) we were able to see participation from different demographic groups in the community who usually don’t come into a church,” Pastor Sunny Philip of Gateway Christian Center said.

The event at the Gateway Christian Center also featured family friendly events such as a barbeque, live music, raffle prizes, a waterslide and face painting. All people, regardless of their beliefs, were welcome to enjoy the community event at the center.

People were asked to register prior to picking up their backpack at the Christian center to ensure that no one would leave empty handed if supplies were to run out. Over 100 people preregistered for the giveaway.

Both events were cosponsored by Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages’ office after the mall reached out to collaborate on advertising for the giveaways. Interns from her office also helped stuff the backpacks at the mall.

“We work with these groups because it’s so important that students are provided with not only the basic tools that they need for school, but also encouraged to celebrate this new year and new opportunities to excel,” Solages said.

For anyone who missed out on the giveaways Aug. 19 and 20, a Back in School giveaway and auto show will be held at UBS Arena Sept. 10 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. People are asked to register for the backpack giveaway online beforehand but all are welcome to enjoy the activities here.

“At this time, especially when we’re talking about a time when there’s an affordability crisis and every dollar counts for families, we want to make sure that when a family comes to the event they’re provided with a backpack,” said Solages. “We don’t want to turn anyone away.”