Fifty-two backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to families in need this year thanks to the Weyburn Salvation Army's Back to School Program.

"That number is a little down from last year," shared Ronza Reynard, Community Ministries Director for the Salvation Army Weyburn and Estevan. "I think the reason being is that with school closing a little early last year I think some of the students still had a lot of their stuff available to them, so we did see that number go down."

She shared how it went this year, with the COVID restrictions in place.

"It kind of ran the same way as usual," said Reynard. "We had set times for people to come and pickup what they needed and we would have them all ready. So it was, tell us your name, which children."

While it wasn't the same as other years, it was the same as most things this year.

"We can't have everyone in the building, we need to be social distancing and things like that," she commented. "Even the people putting them together, you know, they're all masked-up and gloved-up."

The number of backpacks went down, but Reynard said this year the need in other areas is greater.

"The number of people asking for our help with other things has steadily increased," she noted.

This year, they have some leftover school supplies for those who may still be in need of them.

"We still have some things, so if somebody finds themselves in a situation, and they need some extra help, feel free to call down to the office, and they'll get them fixed up for school supplies or a backpack."

She added they will keep the school supplies out a little bit longer and then they'll be stored for next year. Contact Family Services at 306-842-2280.