SALT LAKE CITY — Finding a backpack, checking off items on the school supply list, and preparing for a new school year can feel daunting — especially if you're new to the United States.
"They won't necessarily know what to get for school, they won't know how to prepare for all the supplies they need, and parents also don't know how to help because this is their first time," said Utah Refugee Connection intern Deevya Baral.
Many refugees across the state have these same worries, but Amy Dott Harmer and Utah Refugee Connection are helping prepare refugees before they enter the classroom.
"We have 65,000 refugees across the Wasatch Front, and many of them are very nervous to start school, having the things that they need," Harmer said. "Members of the established community can donate backpacks and specific backpack kits to Utah refugee connection, and these will be distributed to refugee families."
Baral came to the United States with her parents when she was four years old. She says having a backpack drive like this would have made adjusting to American school easier for her.
"I would know what to get for the future years, I would know how to prepare for back to school, and it would give me exposure to all the supplies students here are customized to using," Baral said.
Last year, Utah Refugee Connection received more than 5,000 backpacks. So far this year, they're falling short.
"We need at least 2,000 for our event coming up and right now we're at about 300, so we're a little nervous," Harmer said.
Harmer hopes that in the backpack drive's final days, Monday and Wednesday, they'll see more cars entering the donation line.
"Creativity, ingenuity, intelligence are all universal, but opportunities aren't," Harmer said. "I think when refugees get here and their basic needs are met, we can see their creativity, we can see their ingenuity, we can see their talents, and we see them launch in our community."
Utah Refugee Connection will be taking backpack donations Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Serve Refugee Sharehouse located at 3134 S. 300 East in South Salt Lake.
