3,500 backpacks stuffed with school supplies given to Sask. students

Thousands of Saskatoon students received free backpacks, stuffed with school supplies, on Friday.

This is the tenth year of the backpack giveaway, organized by the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), in partnership with businesses like Nutrien.

“I think we gave out 100 backpacks in the first year, in 2014 — to an event that has grown to today, 3,500 backpacks, full of brand-new school supplies,” Nutrien Executive Vice-President Chris Reynolds told journalists at the event, held at White Buffalo Youth Lodge.

“Unfortunately, the cost of living continues to increase, and it just makes it harder and harder for parents to get their kids out the door and excited about going back to school.”

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(Dale Cooper/CTV News)

Esther Ibitola received her backpack at the event, just days ahead of entering Grade 11.

“I just want to focus on studying and getting my grades up,” Ibitola, who hopes to become a surgeon, told CTV News.

STC Mark Arcand said the majority of backpack recipients are newcomers to Canada.

As more families struggle to make ends meet, Arcand said the backpack giveaway is vital to ensure kids are prepared for September.

“We look at homelessness, it's bad in our city. We look at poverty, we look at the food prices, we look at housing shortages,” Arcand said.

“So in my mind, this event is helping change that system one step at a time.”