About 200 youngsters Thursday claimed backpacks and school supplies, donated by the employees of the County of Santa Clara Department of Child Support Services.
In addition to the backpack distribution, the department had a Resource Fair for parents to learn about a variety of county services available to them.
The activity was coordinated by the PRIDE Team, a group made up of representatives of different units of the Department of Child Support Services. The Pride Team was created two years ago to identify ways to improve performance and morale, and to work on special projects.
The backpacks and supplies were given out on a first come first serve basis and were limited to two per family.
“This is a way for us to demonstrate that the Child Support Services staff care deeply about the children we serve,” said Ralph Miller, Director of the Department of Child Support Services. “We come to work every day to secure child support payments for children, and this is a way we can directly show them our support.”
Along with the backpack distribution, County departments and community organizations also held a Resource Fair for parents to learn about services available to them. Among the participant organizations were the County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency, the Health Care Foundation, Santa Clara Family Health Plan, the County of Santa Clara Vital Records, Legal Advocates for Children and Youth, and the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA).
The Department of Child Support is currently responsible for 60,000 cases. Included in this number are children that have emancipated and need assistance to collect past due payments and families that are not currently enrolled in social assistance but need the Department of Child Support Services to collect child support.
