Back to school and back to giving: Backpack For Brainiacs provides school supplies to kids who need them

It's the time of the year when Blerina Ago takes to Instagram, reminding locals about her annual back-to-school fundraiser.

I always joke with everyone and say, Oh, July and August are here! It's time for me to annoy everybody on Instagram,'" Ago, 26, said with sarcasm.

What started as a passion project in 2018, Backpack For Brainiacs is now a registered charity, helping kids across the Hamilton-Brantford area get back to school with confidence every fall.

Each summer until this year, Ago would create a GoFundMe to help kids who can't afford new school supplies as the fresh school year would kick off every fall. Then she would run around from store to store, looking for deals and putting together new school bags with new stationery items, and other required school supplies. All brand new.

The idea always was to help, no matter the size of the impact." Ago, a McMaster graduate, knew her efforts will be beneficial."

The key focus was also to donate brand-new school supplies.

We believe these kids are already coming from a really tough life. Let's give them the best of the best," Ago explained.

In 2018, she prepared 25 school bags for donation. Last year, the number climbed to 175. But 2022 is different. The goals are bigger, and the number of school bags and supplies are higher despite the dreadful impacts of inflation.

Becoming a fully-registered Canadian charity essentially opened doors as it legitimizes our organization," Ago said, allowing her to reach the next step."

With that, the goal for fundraising was set at an all-time high of $20,000. Ago told The Spectator the non-profit has already raised 60 per cent of the amount.

The charity would also allow Ago to provide for students in need throughout the year.

So far in 2022, Backpack for Brainiacs has donated 230 prepared school bags, and counting. Ago noted the effects of inflation this year have been crazy difficult."

She said that she felt discouraged" and worried" at times about meeting this year's goals within the given donation amount.

She had already created a budget for supplies and a forecast for donations to make sure students aren't left out of what they're required, especially with the inflation.

School supplies already cost a lot," she said. ... But this year we felt the impact of inflation and shortages," said Ago, who works full-time at the Toronto-based Tim Hortons headquarters.

Inflation-fuelled unaffordability was a stronger reason why Ago wanted to fulfil her goal of 230 school bags. I feel so hard for these families who aren't going to be able to afford it every time I go shopping."

Despite what went on in the background the last few months, Ago said she was still able to put together school bags full of pencil cases, Crayola crayons, pencil crayons, craft items like scissors, glue sticks, rulers, erasers, sharpeners, and geometry sets for younger kids.

For older kids, binders, dividers, more notebooks and paper, and scientific calculators were added to the school bags and dropped at churches in Brantford and Hamilton.

Ago credits her journey of getting involved in charity as a classic immigrant story." Her family - parents and siblings - moved from Albania with just suitcases, and she didn't have much growing up.

We were fortunate enough to finish school and land good jobs ... now we want to give back and help out to those who are less fortunate," she said, ... and often are in the same situation we were!"

Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com