Help Maegan Provide Books to Homeless Students

My name is Maegan Horrigan, and this fall I will be a senior at Canton High School.

For the past three years, I have been volunteering with School on Wheels of Massachusetts, also known as SOWMA.

SOWMA is a nonprofit focused on providing educational supplies and support to Massachusetts children experiencing homelessness. I have packed backpacks, done inventory of supplies, worked at their fundraisers, and made bookmarks and hygiene kits for their clients. SOWMA also provides tutoring, mentoring, and transitional support for students leaving high school and taking their next steps to adulthood.

Did you know that there are at least 23,000 children in Massachusetts experiencing homelessness, and that the average age of a person experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts is just 8 years old? Did you know that there are only three towns in Massachusetts that have zero people experiencing homelessness? Homelessness and housing insecurity affect almost every city and town in Massachusetts, and the problem is only growing.

Last year, SOWMA packed 8,800 backpacks for Massachusetts children who were either experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. This year, that number will grow to 10,000. The backpacks we pack at SOWMA include what we like to call “gold standard” school supplies – the best of everything. Every child gets a pleasure reading book.

When I pack a backpack for a SOWMA client, I try to pack it just the way I would want it, with matching colors. My favorite part is choosing the pleasure reading book for another student. If you know me, then you know I am a reader, and I have been since I was a little girl. Often, we find we don’t have as many choices of books for middle and high school students. I want to help fix that. Everyone deserves to get lost in a good book!

During the past two years, I have participated in a very successful book drive, and have collected, sorted, and helped deliver thousands of books to SOWMA. But we still just don’t get as many donations of young adult books as SOWMA needs.

I’m raising money to purchase books for teen backpacks for SOWMA, and hope to get involved in the procurement process. How does a nonprofit turn our financial contributions into hard goods, at the best cost? This is what I hope to learn.

Any contribution you can make is helpful! Please support School on Wheels of Massachusetts. Your donation may be tax deductible.

Thank you for reading!