School Supplies Surprise distributes filled backpacks to children in Calgary

More than 100 at-risk Calgary children received backpacks full of school supplies on Saturday.

The Youth Empowerment and Skills Centre – YES Centre – distributed 150 backpacks at its third annual School Supplies Surprise in southeast Calgary on Saturday.

The initiative was made possible in part by a generous donation from the Calgary Flames Foundation, said community organizer Gar Gar, the event's founder.

“The need is huge,” Gar said in an interview with CTV News. “And it shows how much people are struggling right now, especially low-income families who have to choose between putting food on the table and paying bills and rent.”

“In many of the families we deal with, most of the children are at-risk or vulnerable children who, without help, have no support.”

By distributing the 150 backpacks, they hope that the school year can start successfully for many children in the community, he added.

Gar-Gar

“This is an incredible opportunity,” Gar said. “When we see that the community is willing to help them.”

“This gives the kids a real chance (to succeed in school) – this is a living example of how a community can come together and really empower youth and how people have the power to say, 'Paying it forward works.'”

“For that,” he added, “I want to express my huge thanks to the Flames Foundation for stepping in and supporting grassroots movements like this – and to the many Calgary residents and volunteers who continue to come by (to help).”

Gar is also known for YYC Kids Ride, which donated nearly 300 free bicycles to children in need at its 2024 event.

With files from Tyler Barrow of CTV