'Backing the Need:' School Supply Drive Returns to Cobb Civic Center

MARIETTA — About 70 volunteers helped sort supplies and pack backpacks during the fourth annual Backing the Need drive at the Cobb Civic Center on Saturday.

The drive, co-hosted by KIDS CARE and the Cobb County Police Department, collected new backpacks and school supplies for local students in need.

Leading up to the final public drop-off event, donations were accepted at all five Cobb police precincts and headquarters as well as 12 local businesses.

As businesses brought in their donations, volunteers took inventory and categorized supplies before bringing them to the back of the center to be sorted into elementary, middle school and high school backpacks.

Over the years, the drive has successfully distributed over 1,374 new backpacks filled with school supplies to students in Cobb schools. On Saturday, volunteers packed a total of 350 backpacks, according to KIDS CARE Co-Founder Amie Burke.

Those backpacks were distributed to seven local nonprofits, including Communities in Schools, Simple Needs Georgia, The Center for Children and Young Adults, Cool Kids’ Committees, Family Resources, Ser Familia and LiveSafe Resources, to ensure the donations reach students in need.

In addition to their usual donation of large boxes, moving company Two Men and a Truck also donated a moving truck and mover to help in the process this year, Burke said.

During the event, volunteers were able to meet Rose, Cobb District Attorney Office’s comfort service dog, and play mini golf on the civic center’s homemade mini golf course.

Co-host Keep Cobb Beautiful was also on site to collect recyclable materials, with aluminum can donations helping to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity.

Kids Care

Burke co-founded KIDS CARE, which stands for Kindness in Doing Service Connecting and Respecting Everyone, with her daughter Jaida, now 14, five years ago. The nonprofit offers monthly volunteer opportunities for all ages, aiming to encourage kindness and a sense of service in volunteers from a young age.

“We really encourage the kids to make a lot of the decisions and do a lot of the work,” Burke said.

There were responsibilities for volunteers of all ages based on their abilities.

Volunteer Kyle Blond walked with his son James, 2, who placed different supplies like crayons and folders into a backpack. Blond also brought his two daughters, Ellie, 7, and Caroline, 5, who did the same with their grandmother and fourth-time volunteer Jean Blond.

“It’s great that it’s designed to be able to have the kids help out,” Blond said. “It can be tough finding volunteer activities for younger kids like this so it’s really helpful that they can participate and give back.”

Senior volunteers with Mission 1:27, which provides social, educational and cultural activities for senior adults in Walton communities, helped write thank you cards for first responders and families.

Gemma Fletcher, 11, has been involved in the event since its inception. She was only supposed to volunteer for the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. shift, but begged her mom to let her be at the event all day.

Starting at 8 a.m., Fletcher counted supplies then packed the backpacks, ensuring that everything on the checklist was included. Leading up to the event, she made around 14 signs to put up around the center.

“I just love helping KIDS CARE and it’s so fun,” Gemma said. “I love helping the community and doing service projects and it really makes me happy to make other people happy.”

Volunteer Schyler Ek believes the event not only gets kids involved in service, but also helps them learn teamwork and important math skills like counting and multiplying.

In between shifts, Burke invited speakers from several of the nonprofit organizations to educate the younger volunteers about the importance of their contributions and how the donations would benefit their peers.

This educational component helped volunteers understand the real-world impact of their efforts and tied the experience together, creating a full-circle moment, she said.

“Every kid needs all of this. ... They wouldn’t be able to do their best in school without these supplies,” volunteer Harshad Premkumar, 15, said.

Stacy McIlwain, a board member with Simple Needs, emphasized the significance of these donations.

Simple Needs uses the backpacks from KIDS CARE when they provide birthday presents for their clients, who often are transitioning out of homelessness.

McIlwain, who is a retired teacher, said the program lets kids know their worth and helps them feel ready to succeed.

“Each kid needs to be valued,” McIlwain said. “Giving them a new book bag and new school supplies, pencils that haven’t been sharpened yet, it’s so important to them.”

For more information about KIDS CARE, to make a donation, or to get involved in future events, visit https://kids-care2018.org/ .