Give a Kid a Chance, now in its seventh year, expects to give away at least 3,000 backpacks next month during its annual drive to help less fortunate children in the county.
The backpacks are stuffed with supplies such as pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks and paper.
The organization is also raising funds to help with the project.
The seventh annual Back To School Blast will be conducted July 21 at First Baptist Church in Canton and Hillside United Methodist Church in Towne Lake.
Parents must visit the nonprofit’s website at www.giveakidachance.org to download a registration form.
Volunteers will help prepare children for the first day of school by providing them with free clothing, underwear and socks and backpacks filled with supplies, as well as free medical and spinal screenings, haircuts and other services.
A free lunch will also be served to children and their families.
“It’s one-stop shopping for back to school,” said co-founder Cheryl Ruffer.
Volunteers are needed to sort clothes and to help parents pick out the sizes for their children during the day of the event.
The organization is having a benefit sale this Friday and Saturday at its warehouse at 320 Adam Jenkins Memorial Drive in Holly Springs.
Ruffer said the organization served about 2,800 children last year.
The need continues to grow, she said, noting they only served about 100 children during their first year holding the event.
“The need is definitely still there,” she said.
Co-founder Barbara Fulbright said the growth in the program in the last few years hasn’t been “staggering,” and the demographics of their clientele have changed.
She said they are seeing more families who were formerly middle class use their services.
Fulbright said that the changes in clientele have not caused them to change their strategy in reaching out to those in need.
“It causes us to increase our resources as far as reaching out to churches and businesses for more assistance,” she added.
For more information, visit www.giveakidachance.org.
Post a Comment
