A Thank You From Mark Friedman, Owner
The idea for the Smart Pack backpacks was floated during one of our regular staff meetings earlier this spring and was quickly and unanimously embraced.
Caregivers are the backbone of Senior Helpers Boston & South Shore and it is often hard to find ways to thank them for all they do every day. With the demands we place on them we also forget that many are parents too; dealing with back-to-school shopping pressures and daily schedules that come with kid-raising.
This year, we decided we would take one store off the obligatory “to do” list for more than 150 of our caregivers by assembling individual Back-to-School Smart Packs for their children in grades K-12.
Our caregivers happen to work in 75 communities in and around Greater Boston and the South Shore, but they live and their kids attend school in a much broader swath. It took some digging, and lots of calls to school districts, but we were able to get comprehensive lists of “must have” supplies for grades K-3, 4-7 and 8-12, then purchase and assemble them in practical weatherproof sacks.
Our caregivers, who often find reasons to stop by our offices, were invited to bring in their kids to pick up their kits. It turned out to be a great bonus for us in the Newton and Norwell offices to meet the children of these gifted men and women who are so essential to quality of our care.
These Smart Packs give us pause during a busy time; an opportunity to say to these kids, “thank you for ‘sharing mom and dad’ with us.”