More than 1,500 homeless students in Denver haul their school supplies in plastic bags.
But the number of students without backpacks will decline significantly this fall, with donations from Newmont Mining Corp. and other local businesses.
To date, 21 nonprofits and businesses have collaborated in the eighth annual Backpacks for Homeless Students program, initiated by the nonprofit Minority Enterprise & Educational Development. The goal: provide every homeless student with a backpack.
Employees at Newmont, a gold producer based in Greenwood Village, exceeded this year’s goal of 500 backpacks by acquiring and filling 515 packs with notebooks, dictionaries, pens and pencils.
Newmont’s partner, EON Office Products of Denver, donated the school supplies, while Douglas County-based ProCorp Images supplied discounted backpacks, making each bag worth $65. Newmont employees donated an additional $5,000 to support initiatives by Minority Enterprise & Educational Development.
“Newmont encourages employees to volunteer and participate in programs that help build our community,” said company spokeswoman Jessica Terlecki. Employees are offered two days a year of paid time to volunteer.
This year, Newmont ranked 16th on Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens list.
Ray Gray, Newmont’s lead accounts-payable coordinator, said the company will support the backpack program as long as the need exists.
Businesses are more involved this year because Minority Enterprise & Educational Development worked with Denver Public Schools’ School Partners Program.
“The donation of supplies has grown dramatically since the partnership,” said Ken Santistevan, DPS’s director of Strategic Business and Community Initiatives.
From school year 2006-07 to 2008-09, the number of homeless students increased 20 percent a year, then leveled last year after prevention efforts, said Jackie Bell, DPS’s homeless liaison. The rate is expected to grow again this year because of the weak economy.
“More business support is always welcome,” Santistevan said.
Rita Wold: 303-954-1488 or rwold@denverpost.com
To donate backpacks, contact Ken Santistevan at 720-423-3491 or ken_santistevan@ .
