SANDPOINT — For the 23rd year in a row, the Angels Over Sandpoint’s Back to School program is providing local school children with the supplies they need for the upcoming school year.

This year, the Angels will be donating over 1,400 backpacks filled with supplies to kindergarten to 12th grade students across Bonner County, according to Angels’ public relations officer Cindy Vogel. She said that the organization gave away around 800 backpacks last year, marking a significant increase in the supplies they are giving away. 

"This program was established because there’s so many children in need and the cost of school supplies just goes up and up and up,” Vogel said. “Especially this year with the economy and inflation the way it is, it puts quite a stretch on a family’s budget so what we love to do is give back to Bonner County.” 

The local nonprofit will be at Farmin Stidwell Elementary Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and next Thursday, Aug. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon. The non-reserved supplies will be first come first serve, but nobody will leave empty handed, according to Vogel. 

"We try to not turn anyone away, people can show up and they might not get a backpack, but they’ll get supplies,” Vogel said. “Everybody will walk away with a bag of supplies, and these are brand new supplies.” 

In addition to the supplies handed out next week, the organization has donated group use supplies, like boxes of crayons, to elementary schools across the area. These donations might make elementary school bags a little lighter but will allow the supplies to help more children, Vogel said. 

Vogel said that the organization reaches out to schools and teachers at the end of the school year to understand what supplies students and classrooms need.  

“The elementary schools this year did not want backpacks, they wanted drawstring bags,” Vogel said. “So, drawstring bags will be provided for them.” 

The operation takes four days for the Angels to put together once the supplies arrive, with the first two days spent unpackaging and making the supply bags for students. The volunteer-driven organization is funded by the events they hold yearly and partners with Staples to receive lower prices on the supplies. 

Vogel said that this year the Angels were a little lighter on funds due to the cancellation of The Follies, their annual signature fundraiser, but were able to pull from reserves to deliver the supplies necessary for the community.  

"We lost quite a bit of money that we would typically have in reserves,” Vogel said. “We powered through, and nobody will leave without a bag of supplies, it’s pretty incredible what we do.” 

If you’re interested in getting involved with Angels Over Sandpoint, Vogel said the best way to get involved is to attend the organization’s monthly meetings, which take place on the second Tuesday of every month at the Kaniksu Conference Room above the Pend d’Oreille Winery.