GEO Reentry Services staff and members of an alumni network comprised of past program participants came together recently to support children in Union County, New Jersey during a Backpacking and Potluck Dinner hosted by Parents Engaging Parents, a nonprofit that advocates for children’s educational rights. Staff and alumni volunteered alongside education administrators, community organizers and local residents to fill backpacks with school supplies for local school-aged children. Volunteers filled more than 1,000 backpacks, which were distributed to families throughout the region the following week.
“GEO Reentry Services takes pride in supporting education for young people in our communities,” GEO Care Education and Programs Senior Director Angela Geisinger said. “Alumni services does a great job of consistently giving back through community service, and we are so proud of the network’s participation to support families at this back-to-school event.”
Volunteers from Alumni Services and staff at Talbot Hall, a GEO Reentry Services residential reentry center in Kearny, N.J., learned about the Backpacking and Potluck Dinner after organizers at PEP reached out looking for support. Ahead of the event, members of PEP collected school supplies and worked with the Second Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth, N.J. to secure a room with tables and a potluck meal for volunteers.
“We are proud to volunteer for PEP for this important event,” GEO Reentry NJ Alumni Services Director Arthur Townes said. “It’s very rewarding to give back to the community, working with others to assure our children start the school year ready to learn.”
The event was a success, resulting in 1,000 backpacks filled with pencils, pens, markers, notebooks, erasers, rulers, and other essential school supplies to help students start the school year off right.
GEO Reentry Alumni Services is available to reentry participants after they complete their program commitments.