Bennington
Ninth Annual Bennington Night Out Supplies 350 Backpacks for Students
Families gathered at Lower Willow Park in Bennington recently for the ninth annual Bennington Night Out and Backpack Giveaway, helping hundreds of local children prepare for the upcoming school year. According to a report first published by the Bennington Banner,…
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Key points
- The ninth annual Bennington Night Out provided roughly 350 school-supply-filled backpacks to local students at Lower Willow Park.
- Hosted by the Bennington Police Department and the Bennington Banner, the event featured free haircuts, a bike raffle, food, and water games.
- Local businesses, civic groups, and volunteers partnered to support area families ahead of the new school year.
BENNINGTON, Vt. NewsWK — Families gathered at Lower Willow Park in Bennington recently for the ninth annual Bennington Night Out and Backpack Giveaway, helping hundreds of local children prepare for the upcoming school year. According to a report first published by the Bennington Banner, the community celebration distributed approximately 350 backpacks stuffed with essential classroom supplies.
The annual gathering brings together local first responders, area businesses, civic groups, and neighborhood volunteers to support families across Bennington County.
Backpacks and Classroom Essentials
Organizers lined up brightly colored backpacks packed with notebooks, composition pads, folders, pencils, safety scissors, and crayons. Each bag also contained schedule details for the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, health information from Head Start, toothbrushes provided by Battenkill Valley Health Center, and a historical book on Abraham Lincoln donated by Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home.
According to Bennington Police Chief and Public Safety Director Paul Doucette, the event relies heavily on broad regional support. “Everybody from the Bennington community comes out when their kids are in need of school supplies and a backpack,” Doucette told the Bennington Banner. “And, it really just brings a lot of community volunteers together to make this night possible.”
Family Activities and Community Partners
In addition to school supplies, families enjoyed a wide array of free activities provided by local organizations and volunteers:
- Free back-to-school haircuts from The Clip Shop and hair braiding from Sheelah’s Mobile Braiding
- Ice cream and popsicles served from the police department’s “copsicle” trailer
- Cotton candy handed out by Bennington-5 State Representative Mike Nigro
- A water play area created by the Bennington Fire Department
- A five-bike raffle sponsored by Walmart, which also hosted a local supply drive
- A bouncy house provided by Gamers Grotto and supervised by local daycare provider Debbie Rice
Costumed volunteers from the 501st Legion visited with children in stormtrooper attire, while members of the Bennington Elks Lodge, Rotary Club, YMCA, and American Legion Auxiliary assisted with activities and distribution.
Building Local Connections
Bennington Banner Advertising Manager Susan Plaisance noted that local businesses and residents rallied quickly to collect supplies, filling a police department van during a donation drive at Walmart prior to the park event.
For local leadership, the evening serves as an opportunity to build positive connections between residents, town employees, and law enforcement personnel in a relaxed atmosphere.
“It makes people happy, and that’s what we want to do,” Chief Doucette shared with the Bennington Banner, highlighting the collaborative effort between town staff, select board members, and community advisory groups.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Based on reporting originally published by Bennington Banner. Read the original story.
