TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Hundreds of military students in Tucson received backpacks filled with school supplies at Davis Monthan Air Force Base on Friday.
Operation Homefront collected 350 backpacks and thousands of school supplies including markers, paper, crayons and glue sticks.
“We do this every year to help support our military families to help relieve the financial burden they have,” said the base’s school liaison, Betsy Fleming.
The area surrounding the base has 9,900 students according to Fleming.
5-year-old, Aynara Cordova, is one of them.
“I got a bunch of stuff,” said Aynara.
Aynara’s father, Fredy Cordova, volunteered at the event on Friday helping pass out school supplies.
“I’ve been somebody who has benefited so much from them since I was a young teenager to be honest,” said Cordova. “Volunteering here- it just brings back a lot of memories and how important this is for the community.”
Donna Walker, Palo Verde High Magnet School’s liaison to the base said she notices a difference when students have all of the supplies they need before starting school.
“We notice that when people don’t have the things that they need, they tend to shy away. They don’t participate, so when they have everything that they need- they can jumpstart,” said Walker.
Leftover supplies from the event will be donated to local K-12 schools.
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Faith Abercrombie is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before coming to KGUN, Faith worked as a videographer for the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation and as a reporter and producer on the youth suicide documentary, "Life is..." on Arizona PBS.
Share your story ideas with Faith by emailing faith.abercrombie@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
