Delta Box Subscribers Donate Thousands of Backpacks to the Students of Delta Educators

The year of 2020 brought many unprecedented challenges to both teachers and students. As a result of the  pandemic, parents experienced job loss, students were displaced out of classrooms, and teachers transitioned to virtual teaching. Knowing the great opposition that world faced, Dear Delta wanted to find a way to sow into the community.  Thus, the seed of Project Backpack was planted and we began to embark on a passion project to design and manufacture backpacks at a significant discount to bless those students and teachers who were affected by the pandemic. 

During the 2021 Vault Sale, Dear Delta offered subscribers the option to add on a backpack for $20. We decided that we wanted to  custom design Backpacks and stock them with all of the supplies that a student needs to be successful in the 2021 school year! The school supplies included a lunch box, water bottle, a set of (4) notebooks and folders, (1) binder, a pack of pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, and a ruler. Not only did we custom design and manufacture these backpacks, but we also boosted the number of backpacks purchased by subscribers!

The facts are that only a mere  7% of public school teachers identify as African-American. Furthermore, an NAEP study found that, “teachers of color boost the academic performance of students of color” (Texas A&M). Moreover, when students have teachers that look like them, the “students feel more cared for, were more interested in their schoolwork, and were more confident in their teachers’ abilities to communicate with them” (NPR). We are extremely proud of our Delta Educators who dedicated their time to uplifting the next generation through education. While we would have loved to gift the backpacks to everyone, we gave priority to the teachers serving at Title I Schools. We received an overwhelming response, and within minutes of putting a call out to our Delta Educators, the backpacks were distributed.

In their applications, our Delta Educators wrote about the love they have for their students, how thrilled they were to showcase sisterhood to their students, and how much pride they take in educating the next generation. Dear Delta is honored that we were able to come together and give a helping hand to our Delta Educators. 

We would like to extend a warm thank you to everyone who bought a backpack! We couldn’t have done it without you. We are honored that we were able to partner with Sorors and show these students the true meaning of sisterhood! Thank you, thank you, thank you!