SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Students at Washington School in downtown San Jose are going back to school in style this week.
San Jose firefighters greeted students and parents at the school’s front door Monday with hundreds of free backpacks filled with school supplies. Green, blue, purple, pink, and black backpacks — complete with San Jose firefighter logos — put countless smiles on children’s faces.
Principal Maricela Alcala Franco said, “There are about 355 students enrolled at our school. Every child is a Title 1 recipient. It’s a low socio-economic community with high-needs.”
The supplies were donated by San Jose firefighters and Stanford University Hospital.
“The (fire) truck just pulled up. It’s a huge event for them. Obviously, they are excited,” Franco said.
Firefighter Benjamin Naranjo said he hopes the experience will inspire some of the youngsters to dream of becoming an emergency responder to help their community.
“I hope to inspire them, that they can also be firefighters one day, if they work toward that goal,” Naranjo said.
“We definitely need more firefighters here in the City of San Jose and in the state of California as the population grows. This year, the (San Jose Fire Department) responded to 95,000 incidents and we only have 33 stations. There’s always a need for firefighters,” Naranjo said.