Moraga donates backpacks to students in Paradise

MORAGA, Calif. (KTVU) - In the East Bay, a  small business owner and a school teacher have teamed up with the help of others to help students from Paradise recover from the Camp Fire.

The two women have undertaken the effort to get donations for backpacks and school supplies to give to the children of Paradise. 

Many have lost their homes and other belongings. 

One of the two women effort is a teacher at Rheem Elementary in Moraga. She grew up in Paradise. 

She enlisted the help of faculty and students to help fill the donated backpacks with supplies. 

"Each of the kids were able to make a card and they wrote things on the inside as well," said second grade teacher Angie Guidi. 

She showed a KTVU crew cards made by students at Rheem School. 

Each offers words of encouragement such as "Be brave at heart" for the children of Paradise. .

The cards go into the hundreds of backpacks that will be given to students of Paradise.

"It breaks my heart. My heart is truly broken from what's happened to my town," said Guidi . 

She grew up in Paradise and taught at Ponderosa Elementary which is severely damaged. 

Guidi teamed up with Courtney Brockmeyer who runs Sydney Paige Foundation which helps  children in need. 

Brockmeyer is also owner of a business that designs and sells backpacks.

She held an online fundraising drive to help  Paradise students.

"I hope it brings them joy to have something that's brand new that's colorful bright and fun," said Brockmeyer.   

She says her previous career work with a food and beverage company researching the needs of lower income families and visiting them opened up her eyes about the importance of backpacks and school supplies.

The women said they received many generous donations that made this drive possible.

"Out of this devastation has come this immense amount of support and that's what's filled my heart with such joy," said Guidi,"We don't want people to forget about the survivors and what they still need to continue to survive this is a long term process."

On Tuesday morning, the backpacks will loaded into a trailer and driven to Butte county. 

Brockmeyer plans to personally deliver them to the teachers and students at two elementary schools.

For more on restocking Paradise schools, go to Sydney Paige Foundation.