Thanks to our friends at the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, over 1,000 kids experiencing homelessness will start their school year off right with a brand new backpack filled with school supplies.

Every fall, Project Cool convenes community volunteers to pack backpacks with school supply necessities and hygiene items. They are distributed to multiple shelters and housing programs throughout King County, including Solid Ground’s Broadview Shelter, Family Shelter, and JourneyHome programs.

Students experiencing homelessness live with lots of stress and often feel different than their peers as they don’t have the means to buy new school supplies, clothes or a place to call home. Project Cool helps students experiencing homelessness feel more prepared and confident as they start the school year.

In the words of one 12-year old at Broadview Shelter, “Good thing you guys had a backpack for me! I was worried I’d be the only one on the first day without one!”

Thanks again to our partners at Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness for organizing such a meaningful program.