Weekend Santa Rosa backpack giveaways help families in need

Adriana Gutierrez covers education and child welfare for The Press Democrat and is a Report for America corps member. The national service program was founded to help staff local newsrooms in need of more reporters covering their community. The Press Democrat is one of only approximately 60 newsrooms nationwide chosen to host reporters in 2023. The Report for America program is an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.

Nearly 300 backpacks were passed out to Roseland children this weekend at the new Boys & Girls Clubhouse in a charity event hosted by the Roseland Community Building Initiative.

The back-to-school event — nicknamed Mochilada, a play on the Spanish word for backpack — took place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m Saturday. It marked the eighth year in a row the program has provided school supplies to students in the area.

Nohemi Palomino has organized the event since its 2016 start.

“I am a mother and I have four children. I know how expensive it is for families to buy their backpacks and supplies,” Palomino said.

This year, partners included the Sonoma County Library Biblio Bus, Chio Molina Restaurant, Ireri Ballet Folklorico, the Sonoma County Agriculture Industry Recreation, Nuestra Communidad, Head Start, Little Wildflowers Preschool, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office and the Northern California Center for Well-Being.

The backpacks available to students were filled with school supplies and donated on a first-come, first-served basis. Included in the backpacks were notebooks, pencils, pens, a ruler and folders.

Alongside these backpacks were booths providing food, resources and notices of upcoming events for Roseland youth.

As a fan of reading, Palomino said she also makes sure to have books, both in Spanish and English from Mexican authors, for the children to pick up during the Mochilada.

Magali Telles, vice president of youth impact of the Boys & Girls Club, said it was a privilege to open the new Clubhouse building for an event geared toward supporting Roseland youth.

“What’s great about Nohemi and CBI is that they understand what the real true need is and are so connected with what happens day to day in the community,” Telles said.

Telles, who has served as a committee member planning a Mochilada in the past, recalled the event fondly.

“It’s a really celebratory atmosphere,” Telles said. “There’s a lot of opportunity to be in a community and create community.”

The Roseland event was one of many weekend distribution events that provided students with back-to-school necessities.

Santa Rosa Recreation and Parks gave out 200 filled backpacks to students during its end-of-summer Splash Bash on Friday.

And, the Redwood Gospel Mission distributed more than 500 backpacks to students during its City Kids Festival on Saturday.

With most Sonoma County students set to return to school in the next two weeks, more backpack and school-supply giveaways are being planned.

Let The Press Democrat know about your event by writing us at [email protected].

Report For America corps member Adriana Gutierrez covers education and child welfare issues for The Press Democrat. Reach her at [email protected].