Wal-Mart, Harvest Time hand out thousands of backpacks

Harvest Time Community Impact Backpack Giveaway was held Saturday (Aug. 3), with thousands of backpacks full of school supplies handed out to struggling families.

Even with a threat of rain, parents and children began lining up at the Walmart Store on Zero Street at 7 a.m., and distribution began around 9:30 a.m.

With the demand high, this year two locations were set up to distribute the backpacks – one at Zero Street Walmart and one at the Kelley Highway Walmart.

With the need for children to have school supplies being a financial struggle for some families, Harvest Time felt the need to help serve the families. The giveaway is a necessity for the students and a financial help to the parent.  

The Harvest Time Backpack Giveaway began in 2010 to help serve the needs of people in the Fort Smith area. In 2010, 450 backpacks were given away. Each year since beginning, the goal was raised by 300 backpacks. Last year, 1,100 backpacks were given. The goal for this year was to more than double the backpacks and give away 3,000.  

Each backpack was packed with school supplies that were age appropriate and the backpacks were female and male appropriate. Backpacks were given out to children kindergarten through sixth grade.

"There are over 100 volunteers on site to help with this project. We are giving out 3,055 backpacks.  It took us 12 hours with 150 volunteers to stuff the backpacks,” said April Phipps, Harvest Time Community Impact director.

Phipps' favorite thing about the backpack program is that it "meets a practical need, but shaking hands and giving a smile lets them (the children) know that someone cares and that the backpacks mean so much more."

When picking up the backpacks, forms were filled out so volunteers would know what grade each child was in and what school they were serving. Fort Smith has 19 elementary schools, but this is not all the schools in the Fort Smith area. Students from Oklahoma schools and other Arkansas schools were also helped.

Aaron Jackson, shift manager at the Zero Street Walmart, said store officials were happy “to get involved with the community” on the project.

“Last year, we were caught by surprise at how many families came and this year we are more organized,” Jackson said.

Ashley McLaughlin, from Van Buren, has three children and said the expense of school supplies is a tremendous burden for her family.

"It means a lot to get the backpacks and supplies," she said.