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GETTING IT ALL TOGETHER – School kids, school staff and school district officials along with staff of Operation Interdependence got together to stuff some packs for Katrina kids. |
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Still learning how to spell, kindergarten student Alyssa Yannaccone knew she wanted to help kids who had suffered from Hurricane Katrina. So she got involved with the Friendship Backpack program through her school, Mary J. Donohue, and helped put necessary items into packs to be sent to the victims.
"I wanted to help," she said during a recent interview.
The concept behind Friendship Backpack was to have kids here help kids in the hurricane-stricken area. The Bayonne school district and elementary and high school student councils joined forces with Operation Interdependence to put together packages of items kids would need.
Students from Mary J. Donohoe School were able to fill 38 backpacks, said Principal Nancy Ruane. Teacher Kimberly Goodwin said the Donohoe Student Council oversaw the operation. The students brought the items and the teachers purchased the packs.
Olinka Batista, of the sixth grade at Mary J. Donohoe School, said she had wanted to help, too, after having seen the images of the disaster on the TV and hearing about the program at school.
Maria Villagran of the fourth grade said she had heard about how kids needed things, and she wanted to help. So did Louis Mandez of the seventh Grade.
"I'm extremely proud of the Student Council members for taking up the challenge in organizing and collecting all these things to help the kids in Louisiana," said Dr. Patricia McGeehan, superintendent of schools.
The program is designed to have children of like age and their families selecting those items they know would be needed for someone their own age. "This would mean that a 6-year-old would be donating those things a 6-year-old would need, a 7-year-old for a 7-year-old, etc.," said Danielle Ward.
Operation Interdependence was originally geared to sending packages overseas to troops, but added this new operation after Katrina struck.
Regional centers
Tony Ward, co-director of Operation Interdependence's Bayonne regional operations, said Bayonne is one of 13 regional centers throughout the United States. The center has collected about 1,000 fully stuffed backpacks for the first shipment to the stricken area.
Tony and his wife, Dani, have been collecting for weeks, and the school program has been generated with the help of Maribeth Doria, the district's director of special programs, and Ginger Kemp and Phyllis Garelick, co-chairs of Operation Bayonne Caring Hearts.
Group USA in Secaucus has donated clothing valued at about $495,000 for the effort. The City of Bayonne has donated 40,000 square feet of warehouse space to the operation.
But donations are still welcome and the hurricane relief program is seeking diapers, baby formula, baby wipes, snack bars, granola bars, crackers, cereal, sips, water, blankets, hand sanitizer, Pop Tarts, baby food, canned goods and back packs as well as new summer clothing such as shorts, t-shirts, socks and children's underwear.
Ward said that with the assistance of Mayor Joseph Doria, Operation Interdependnce is hoping to see as many truckloads of goods as possible.
Goods should be dropped off at the Operation Interdependence Center at 200 Broadway (near Seventh Street).
Contact Al Sullivan
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