'Build a Backpack' to provide school supplies for students
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 14, 2011 1:46 PM
Communities in Schools of Wayne County will be part of a statewide effort to collect school supplies for economically-disadvantaged students, its director said.
Sudie Davis, executive director of the agency that has had a local presence since 1994, has spearheaded local school supply drives but of a smaller magnitude.
The 2011 "Build a Backpack" promises to be the largest drive ever conducted by Walmart in North Carolina, she said, involving 138 of the stores across the state.
The campaign kicks off July 17 and runs until Aug. 21.
Walmart customers will be invited to donate at check-out and bins will also be available to collect items in the stores.
Items collected will be distributed to local Communities in Schools affiliates, which will then distribute them to low-income students.
Mrs. Davis said that money collected will be distributed in the form of Walmart gift cards to CIS. At the conclusion of the campaign, students from Wayne County Public Schools, accompanied by volunteers from CIS, will shop for school supplies and other items.
Others working on the project with CIS of North Carolina will be IBM and United Way.
"This is a wonderful example of a partnership that will bring local resources into our schools to allow students to have the tools they need to succeed in school," said Mrs. Davis. "Our agency has done school supply drives consistently over the past several years, and this is a terrific complement to our other efforts.
"Our community has been extremely generous over the years, and we know that our students are better prepared because of that generosity. This partnership will allow us to expand our local campaign and assist even more students."