Owen Hart Foundation distributes thousands of backpacks stuffed with school supplies to children in need

Thousands of children in need received backpacks stuffed with school supplies Saturday from the Owen Hart Foundation.

Martha Hart has always believed in helping young students start the school year off strong.

Hart is the founder and director of the Owen Hart Foundation, which hosted its annual backpack giveaway Saturday in Kensington. The annual event hosts children in need, who each receive a backpack stuffed with school supplies and other items to give them a smoother runway when it’s time to go back to school in the fall.

“It’s so important that children start school year off with the right tools, because it just helps catapult them into a successful year,” Hart said.

“We’ve had a lot of families come in and say how grateful they are that the Owen Hart Foundation provides backpacks every year for the community, because they really do struggle with just getting the bare necessities for school,” she said. “And so we’re really happy that we could be that community organization, that charity that really helps families that are really struggling financially.”

Hart says that when she first launched the backpack initiative, around eight years ago, her charity gave away around 150 stuffed backpacks.

Now, it’s thousands of backpacks stuffed with a notebook, lined paper, a two -pocket organizer folder, a pack of pencils and another one of pens, crayons, a highlighter, a ruler, glue stick, pencil sharpener and two pink erasers -- and demand shows no sign of tapering off.

“It just speaks to the need that’s in our city, and the vital role that the Owen Hart Foundation plays in being able to be that staple charity that really helps families in need, and especially now you know there’s so much financial insecurity, so we’re really happy that we can do this for our community,” she said.

Those sentiments were echoed by Oje Hart, Owen’s son.

“It doesn’t get any less special,” he said. “Every year that we do this, the families come in, they’re just as grateful as they were the year before, we get families that come in many times.

“It’s really important for the parents to know that we appreciate that they’re making the effort to bring their kids here, and they want to facilitate the brighter future for their children.”

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With files from CTV’s Tyson Fedor