FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Parker White
Founder/Executive Director
(336) 709-9649
parker@backpackbeginnings.org
Greensboro, NC (August 11, 2014) – BackPack Beginnings is conducting a shoe collection drive through October 1 to raise funds to support students in Guilford County. By donating your used shoes to BackPack Beginnings, your shoes are given a second chance to make a difference. Funds2Orgs will pay BackPack Beginnings for the used shoes, and BackPack Beginnings will use that money to buy SMOD (Standard Mode of Dress) clothing for children in Guilford County. There are 36 local schools with a SMOD requirement, and the majority are schools with the highest percentages of families who struggle financially. The children whose families have difficulty finding affordable SMOD clothing are either being disciplined regularly for not meeting standards or are wearing the same outfit throughout the week.
Individuals can help by dropping off their gently worn shoes to the following collection sites: Omega Sports located on 2431 Battleground Avenue, the Lake Jeanette Clubhouse located on 5040 Bass Chapel Road, Off’n Running/Fleet Feet store at 3731 Lawndale Drive, and at the Greensboro Grasshoppers game on Tuesday, August 12th at NewBridge Bank Park (for free admission). Information on how to host your own shoe drive is located on their website.
“We are very excited to be conducting this shoe drive” notes BackPack Beginnings founder, Parker White. “With the money raised we will be able to help children in our community. Our goal is to collect 7,500 pairs of shoes. The only way we can do that is if community members, churches, and businesses get involved. I am calling on everyone to gather their unwanted, gently worn, used shoes, fill a box and donate them to us.”
If you, or a local organization, are interested in learning more about this opportunity or participating in your own shoe drive, you may contact Kellie Gallerani at clothingpantry@backpackbeginnings.org. A Shoe Drive Toolkit with instructions, tips and flyers to help you create a successful shoe drive is located on their website. All necessary supplies will be provided.
About BackPack Beginnings
BackPack Beginnings, founded in 2010 by Parker White, a native of Greensboro and mother of 2 children, is a 100 percent volunteer-run and donor-driven organization. What started out as a feeding program in one school feeding 50 children has grown to a multi-program organization serving over 2,500 children a year. During the 2013 school year, the Food BackPack Program sent nutritious, kid-friendly food home on the weekends to over 1,100 children in 21 Guilford County Title 1 schools and Head Start programs. If you would like to find out more or support BackPack Beginnings through in-kind donations, funding or volunteering, please contact Parker White at parker@backpackbeginnings.org or visit www.backpackbeginnings.org.
