KALISPELL - A free backpack and school supplies giveaway in Kalispell and Missoula on Saturday will help families ahead of the upcoming school year.
Two Verizon-Cellular Plus stores in Kalispell will be giving away more than 100 free backpacks for families in need. The backpacks come filled with school supplies including pencils, pens, binders, and more.
All children in the Flathead Valley are eligible to pick up a new backpack on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. An adult must be accompanied by a child to pick up a backpack, but no purchase is necessary at the store.
Verizon-Cellular Plus Store Manager Dalton Heingartner said funding for the new backpacks comes from store employees and customers.
“It’s always a joy, this is my third year doing it, usually we get quite a bit of a line out here in the morning of kids and families showing up which is awesome because that means the word got out and everybody gets to come in, the kids are always super excited,” said Heingartner.
The event runs from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. but Dalton said families can come in at any time while the store is open on Saturday to pick up a backpack. Any leftover backpacks will be donated to local schools.
The two Kalispell store locations are at 1805 US Highway 93, next to Frugals, and at 1194 US-2, across from VW and next to Applebee's.
The Cellular Plus stores in Missoula are at 610 East Broadway Street, across from Noon’s, and at 2506 Mount Avenue, on the corner of Mount and Reserve.
