Family Service League Help

By Tori Toth

The Family Service League--is an organization that addresses social problems on Long Island. They help families improve their quality of life and that's exactly what I saw first hand, when I went to visit them giving away free school supplies.

Judging by the many smiling faces, the Family Service League helped out not only children, but their parents as they go through a stressful time. One of the mothers I spoke to called this program "a God send." She told me that her husband lost his job and its been tough even providing food for her 6-year-old daughter. Children there got to choose the color of the supplies they wanted to fulfill that long laundry list of back to school items. To learn on how you can receive a backpack or what other school programs the Family Service League provides log onto http://www.fsl-li.org/ .

The Family Service League isn't the only organization trying to put kids on the fast track to success. The U-J-A Federation of New York is also stepping up to help out. Volunteers young and old gathered in Jericho to help fill all-types of backpacks with supplies for their 7th annual Give Back with a Backpack Program. The entire gym at Solomon Schecter Day School in Nassau was an assembly line. They plan on helping nearly 1,500 children make the grade by distributing those bags to U-J-A beneficiary agencies, school and other organizations.

For more information on how you can get a backpack or if you just want to volunteer visit  www.ujafedny.org/longisland.