Organizations team up to offer kids free backpacks ahead of school year

The Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club is in its seventh year of hosting its bike rodeo, which teaches kids about bike safety at the Sarasota City YMCA. 

But this year, the event grew in size, as the Sarasota Police Department, an existing event partner, concentrated its backpack distribution at the location, while various companies and organizations joined in to help. 

The Badges and Backpacks event, held Saturday, served as a "one-stop shop" for families with kids returning to school, said Officer Whitney Bentz of the department's Community Relations Unit. 

She said more than 700 backpacks were given away during an event that also offered free school supplies, haircuts and manicures; activities including virtual reality games, exotic cars on display, bike tracks by BMX Sarasota and the Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club; and food and treats.

Some of the other community partners who joined included Hale Law and Chick-fil-A. 

The backpacks and supplies were donated to the police department, many of through its summer Pack the Patrol Car event, as well to the YMCA.

As Mila Hernandez, 7, enjoyed spending time at the event, she had a new backpack and freshly painted nails. She called the backpack "very nice," saying she chose it as she likes the color pink. She's set to enter second grade, and said she is most looking forward to math.

"It's exciting," said her grandmother Maribel Orduno regarding the event. "Times are hard right now. This is a fabulous, fabulous, fabulous event." 

She noted they also enjoyed the exotic cars. 

Pamela Peters of the YMCA said 42 bikes were also given away, with other walk-up guests waitlisted to receive them. Eugene Rider, a board member with the Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club, said the organization gave away around 115 helmets, while about 100 kids participated in the bike rodeo.

Bentz said the effort wouldn't have been possible without the numerous community partners involved.

"Every kid deserves to have a backpack," Bentz said. "Every kid deserves to have a new backpack, a cool backpack, something that they're proud of. We know that a lot of our kids are in school and they have to wear uniforms, so why not have something to express yourself? And a backpack definitely is something that kids can use for that purpose. Having the resources to have supplies; we know that with inflation, supplies are very expensive nowadays. So for us to be able to provide this for the community, we thought it was a great effort."