As the new school year quickly approaches, families in need scramble to have their children prepared for the first day of school. The cost of student backpacks continues to rise, and finding the funds to provide supplies for low income families becomes more and more difficult.
With help from local businesses, over 1,500 children in the Roanoke Valley will head off to the first day of school sporting brand new backpacks stuffed with sharp pencils and crayons, fresh notebooks, and binders full of paper. Five hundred of those students will wear their shiny new tennis shoes with an air of confidence due to the generosity of donors from many places.
Walgreens, BB&T Scott and Stringfellow, and MemberOne Federal Credit Union are just a few of those who make the Back to School Blast possible.
This year, Walgreens on Williamson Road has donated 300 backpacks to the event. In addition, the drugstore will discount 300 additional backpacks for InTotal Health, an organizing sponsor of B2SB. Zak Guilfoyle, Assistant Manager, said, “We like to be involved in the community, and this was a good way to do it. The Rescue Mission has been buying book bags from us in the past, so this year we decided to donate them.”
BB&T Scott and Stringfellow has also contributed 300 backpacks. They have donated to this event since 2009. Investing in the lives of children ranks high in importance at BB&T; Leslie Young, Client Service Associate for the Roanoke Branch, said, “We are given a grant for a ‘Lighthouse Project’ each year where the money is to be used in getting involved and making a lasting difference in the lives of others – the Rescue Mission was the right fit, as it is right in our neighborhood.”
On August 2nd, MemberOne will hold a Family Day at their Corporate Office to collect supplies for the event. The “Bubble Van,” the Rescue Mission’s van delegated to children’s ministry, will serve as a collection drop-off for the supplies at MemberOne’s event.
When the Back 2 School Blast first kicked off eight years ago, the event served 300 needy students. This year, 1,500 tickets will be distributed. The increase can be directly connected to the 566 children who found safe shelter at the Rescue Mission in 2013. This number increased by nearly one hundred from the previous year, necessitating a 10% increase in tickets this year.
Pre-registration for B2SB will be on Monday, August 4th, from 9:00am-7:00pm in the Women and Children’s Center Community Room at the Rescue Mission. Donations of school supplies and back packs are being collected in Main Reception at 402 4th Street through August 4th.
The Rescue Mission of Roanoke, located at 402 Fourth Street SE, is a 501(C)(3) grassroots organization serving as a Christian Crisis Intervention Center for Southwestern Virginia. Receiving no government funding of any kind, the Rescue Mission is supported by the generous donations of our community partners. Since 1948, The Rescue Mission has consistently served all people in need regardless of race, creed, gender, age, or ethnicity. For more information about the Rescue Mission, please visit www.rescuemission.net, or call (540) 343-7227.
