Many more students throughout Central Alabama were well prepared to go back to school this year, thanks to thousands of dollars in supplies and donations that were collected through a Back-to-School Drive, organized by United Way Hands On, in July and August. Hands On, the volunteer center for United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA), received a total of $46,874.47 in backpacks, school supplies and monetary donations through the effort.
Supplies have been distributed to a number of schools and churches throughout the region. These include Avondale Elementary School and Henry J. Oliver Elementary School in Birmingham, the Pell City Schools system, First Baptist Church Kingston in Birmingham and Ruach Ministries in Leeds. In Fairfield, more than 400 students (almost 27% of the school system’s total enrollment) received backpacks and supplies.
Throughout the month of July and into August, UWCA rounded up individual donors and partners from across its six-county service area to donate the hundreds of backpacks and supplies. Some of the major partners in the project included Regions Bank, Robins & Morton and Valent Group. UWCA employees themselves also donated 237 filled backpacks through an internal campaign during the first two weeks of August.
In addition to the supply drive, Hands On organized campus beautification events in Fairfield for teams of volunteers from the Birmingham Squadron and O’Neal Industries.
Alice Moore, Volunteer Engagement Manager for Hands On, said the drive was a perfect example of the collective impact that United Way attempts to make happen.
“Supporting our children is one of the easiest ways to rally community support, but, this year, Central Alabama really showed up — from our corporate sponsors to individual residents in our counties. With budgets tight for many families right now, we are so proud of the united effort to prepare our kids for this school year,” Moore said.
The 2024 Back-to-School Drive is one example of the many ways United Way supports Early Childhood Development and Education. To read more about our work in this area, visit https://www.uwca.org/impact/early-childhood.
