‘This is the kind of stuff that makes community’: Spokane’s Salvation Army gives away 4,000 backpacks on Wednesday

Soon-to-be-third-grader Victoria Weaver reached into her new backpack Wednesday morning and plucked out a footlong piece of plastic, a shade of blue that matched both her outfit and new school accessory.

“A ruler!” Victoria said. “I’ve never had a ruler before.”

The floral, neon-colored backpack on Victoria’s shoulders was just one of 4,000 packed for a giveaway at the Salvation Army’s location on Indiana Avenue, the 14th held annually in town in the lead-up to the first day of school. The line stretched down the street as a team of volunteers checked in school-aged children for the distribution, which also linked local families with food and financial assistance, vaccinations from the Spokane Regional Health District and a chance to check out one of Spokane Public School’s new Zūm Services buses.

The Salvation Army’s fundraising partner for the event, NomNom convenience stores, offered students and families a free Froozee, their take on a frozen slushy drink. NomNom and their vendors raised money to support the purchase of supplies

A line formed east along Indiana Avenue on Wednesday morning, families forming up as misters provided some relief from heat that was already settling in. Swoop, the mascot for Eastern Washington University, and mascots Shield Boy and Kettle Man from the Salvation Army offered high-fives and fistbumps to waiting youngsters.

Salvation Army Capts. David and Kelly Cain, corps officers who started in Spokane a couple of weeks ago, watched as a stream of families walked up to tents, handed over tickets and walked away with a backpack.

“We just want to restore health to communities and be a safe place for families,” David Cain said. “So not only is it backpacks for kids, but it’s a chance for families to be familiar with the Salvation Army and some of the other services we provide.”

Visitors also got a chance to learn what other services were available from nonprofits. Sally’s Park, a green area in the center of the Salvation Army campus, was filled with tents from about three dozen other charities and businesses in town where families could learn about assistance.

Aidyn Shelton, 4, whacked at a golf ball on a small mini golf set in front of a tent for the nonprofit Spokane Helpers Network, a group set up during the COVID-19 pandemic primarily to provide food to local families in need. Aidyn’s mother, Sabryna, clutched the space-themed backpack her son had selected.

“I was actually kind of surprised, because I thought he’d pick the dinosaurs and construction one, but he picked this,” Sabryna Shelton said.

Aidyn Shelton has been ready for his second year of preschool for a while, his mom said. She learned about the giveaway on Facebook, and it was their first time attending the event.

The mini golf game was provided by Flatstick Pub, a partner of the Helpers Network, said Susan McDonald Osborn, its executive director. The nonprofit is staffed by volunteers and has been establishing a social media presence to make families aware of the service available in the community beyond food deliveries, she said.

“There are so many resources in Spokane, and we kind of spoon-feed a little bit,” Osborn said. “We post every resource we see, every free activity.”

The nonprofit is looking to partner with larger companies to provide food for deliveries, which have numbered 500 so far this year, Osborn said. Those interested can visit spokanehelpersnetwork.org.

Volunteers for the Salvation Army carried backpacks from large bins to tables as students selected their favorites. Among those volunteers was Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels.

Nowels said he’d asked some of the people on his staff if they would volunteer to stuff the backpacks with supplies earlier this week. There were enough volunteers already that the deputies weren’t needed, he said.

“This is clearly something that the Spokane community supports, the volunteer community supports,” Nowels said. “This is the kind of stuff that makes community.”

Victoria Weaver’s choice of backpack to accompany her to third grade in the coming weeks was simple, she said.

“It’s very colorful,” Victoria Weaver said.

“She’s my colorful kid,” said her mom, Betsy Weaver.