Michael Quintana sifts through supplies he purchased for kids returning to school. Photo by Paula Muller
By Bridget Turcotte
LYNN — One Lynn dad is making school supplies available for hundreds of needy children.
“I want to give back, and I’m in a position right now where I can do it,” said Michael Quintana.
He was shopping with his four daughters when he noticed a sale on notebooks. Because he knew of a few children who could use them, he picked up extras. Soon, he was filling backpacks with various school supplies for eight students.
Seeking those in need, he posted a photo of the backpacks on Facebook. Almost overnight, the post was shared more than 150 times and reached hundreds of people.
Dozens of Lynn parents contacted him seeking assistance, and the project quickly expanded. By Thursday, Quintana and his girls filled two dozen backpacks with some of the $600 worth of supplies he bought.
The backpacks will be distributed by Quintana this weekend. The remaining 1,200 notebooks, 500 pencils, 48 boxes of crayons, 25 calculators, dozens of glue sticks and other items will be donated to Lynn schools.
“I know it’s not enough for the whole year but it’s good for getting them started,” he said. “Between getting new school clothes and school supplies, people have to pick and choose. The cost of living is high and it’s not going down anytime soon. Anytime I feel like I’m in a place where I can help, I try to give back.”
Quintana isn’t alone in the fight. A few local nonprofits, including Marblehead-based Spur, have stuffed hundreds of packs this year.
Quintana’s 9-year-old daughter, Anayah Guy, said she liked helping by picking out the school supplies and putting together the backpacks.
“It’s fun to help them,” she said. “And I like school.”
Dayjahli Guy, 11, said she, too, liked helping with the project. She said she’d be interested in doing something similar for children when she’s an adult.
“It’s good to help other people,” she said. “They don’t have what some other people have.”
Quintana said he’s planning to contact each of the public schools next week to get a feel for what the needs are and to learn how he can drop off the items.
“I talked to a high school teacher and he said the biggest concern at that level is utensils and notebooks so a lot of the pencils and notebooks are being donated to the schools,” he said. “The backpacks are geared for elementary school kids. They have arts and crafts supplies.”
This isn’t the first time the family has offered a helping hand to the community. For the past two years, Quintana has been gathering turkeys to give to families in need for Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, he gave away 60 birds. This year, 50 to 60 people have already reached out and he’s set a goal of 100 turkeys.
“I want to tell the kids to tell their parents that it’s taken care of and it’s one less thing for them to worry about,” he said.
A mentor once told him not to forget where he came from and not to take for granted how far he’s come. He said he’s been successful because he accepted help that others offered him.
“This is about letting people know that people are out there who want to help,” he said. “I also want to set a good example for my daughters. I want to make sure they appreciate what they have today and that everything could be gone tomorrow.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.
