Telethon beneficiary Dandelions WA aim to pack more than 17,000 free backpacks to give kids best school start

“Pack with love, not speed.”

That’s the slogan plastered on tables and cupboards at Dandelions WA.

The charity is run entirely by volunteers, and each year they diligently pack backpacks with brand new school supplies to give to kids in need so they have the best possible start to the new school year.

The Back to School campaign first started in 2020, with 220 backpacks packed and sent to kids who would otherwise go without.

Last year, with help from Telethon, they delivered more than 15,000 backpacks to primary and high school students across more than 420 schools and 90 agencies.

“The children we support have lived a life of disadvantage. They rarely get anything new,” Dandelions WA co-founder Vicky Young said.

“They have always been that different kid within the school yard, they’ve avoided the school yard because of ridicule.

“So for us to give them a brand new backpack, to turn up on day one and sit in the classroom and have every single item that every other child has, gives them a sense of belonging, of being equal.”

The bags bursting with new pens, pencils, notebooks, lunch boxes, water bottles, hygiene kits and more are reaching all corners of the state, from Kununurra, to the Gibson Desert and all the way down to Esperance.

It’s just one of many programs Telethon supports to remove barriers to learning, improve school attendance, and give every child the best possible start to their education.

“For us to have been accepted as a beneficiary of Telethon, we never dreamed that we would be eligible for such a thing. Hadn’t even considered it,” Ms Young said.

“It was just incredible to be part of such an awesome team. And it was really humbling, you know, to think that our little Dandelions of five years was now part of that awesome team.”

Feed it Forward volunteer Triona McGee said the non-profit’s partnership with Dandelions WA allows both organisations to help more families experiencing hardship.

“What hit me most was the families living homeless, the kids in tents that could really do with some help with back to school, and just feeling like all the other kids starting on day one,” she said.

This year’s target is 17,000 backpacks. With a small army of 130 volunteers and 15 weeks to pack, Ms Young has no doubt they’ll get the job done, with love.