Police, businesses collecting backpacks for students
With school just around the corner, Delaware State Police and area businesses are offering free bookbags stuffed with school supplies for students who need them.
“Our successful partnerships with our schools and families in need directly contribute to our children's well being and development,” said Sgt. Richard Bratz of the Delaware State Police.
He said the state police Community Outreach Unit established the program to assist elementary school- aged children with school necessities. “Troopers are asking for help with any donations to fill each child’s backpack with school supplies,” he said. “Donations can be taken to any troop statewide by anyone wishing to help.”
Each troop has a box in its lobby for supplies that can be dropped off until Aug. 11. Donated items will be handed out prior to the 2017-18 school year, Bratz said.
“Please help the Delaware State Police give to the students who will need the essential supplies and materials for a successful school year,” Bratz said.
Police are collecting backpacks and supplies such as: No. 2 pencils, spiral notebooks, washable Crayola crayons box of 24, large pink erasers, pencil cases, colored pencils, washable markers, loose-leaf wide-ruled paper, highlighters, composition books, three-ring binders, plastic folders with pockets, tissue boxes and hand sanitizer.
For more information, call Master Cpl. Ricky Hargis in Eastern Sussex County at 752-3804 or Cpl. Juanita Huey-Smith in Western Sussex County at 232-3459.
National backpack giveaway
Locally, TCC and Wireless Zone stores are participating in a national backpack giveaway. Both the TCC store on 37156 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, and the store on 28665 Dupont Blvd. in Millsboro will hold backpack giveaways from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 23.
Each TCC store is donating 220 backpacks, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis, said Scott Moorehead, CEO of Round Room, parent company of TCC and Wireless Zone. Backpacks are filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, glue and other supplies; leftover backpacks will be delivered to area schools, he said.
“This is our fifth TCC School Rocks Backpack Giveaway, and we are ecstatic to bring Wireless Zone on board to assist in supporting the education of young children in our communities,” Moorehead said in a press release. “We are proud to help our local families prepare for the upcoming school year by taking some of the financial burden off their shoulders.”
Since 2013, he said, TCC has donated more than 505,000 backpacks filled with supplies to ensure children are well prepared for the start of the school year.
Supporters of the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway can use hashtags #BetterTogether and #TCCRocks on Instagram and Twitter to help spread the word, Moorehead said.
To learn more about TCC, go to www.TCCRocks.com, www.facebook.com/tcctalk or www.twitter.com/tcctalk.
