Mid-South kids receive backpacks collected at drive this summer

Published: Aug. 9, 2022 at 4:26 PM CDT
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Dozens of Shelby County third graders went home with a new backpack full of supplies Tuesday.

The backpacks were given out via a partnership with the YMCA and Action News 5.

“We’re so excited. Being the second day of school, we know many of our parents are looking for opportunities for school supplies,” Gardenview Elementary School Principal Janae Scott-Robinson said,

Gardenview Elementary was one of nine schools to benefit from the backpack drive hosted last month. Administrators say it will be a huge help for students this school year.

“We want to make sure our students have what they need to be successful. We also want to make sure that our teachers feel supported in the work.”

More than 1,000 backpacks were collected throughout the month of July, and that number continutes to rise.

“We’ve had so many gracious individuals give at some of our centers. We really had a high volume of online donations this year,” said Justin Inskeep, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development for YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South.

Tameka Stewart is a teacher and parent at Gardenview. She says she sees the need for supplies on both sides.

“We buy supplies towards the beginning of the year, but you run out,” Stewart said. “There’s a need for parents to try to help out and bring supplies to the school. We know that our principals and administrators do everything they can do, but to have that extra support is just awesome.”

The other schools to receive backpacks included Fox Meadows, Ford Road, Lucy, Germanshire, Scenic Hills, Rozelle, Jackson and Chickasaw elementary schools.

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