CityView Magazine

16 August 2022 FEATURE Filling a need Community organizations step in to provide school supplies to those without BY JAMI MCL AUGHLIN A backpack can be a simple thing, but to hundreds of children in Cumberland and surrounding counties, it is a necessary accessory for a successful school year. With the cost of everything from groceries to gas at higher prices, some parents struggle to find their children the school supplies needed for the classroom. But with the new school year around the corner, many organizations are helping by providing some of those essentials. Cumberland County Register of Deeds Lee Warren, whose office has collected school supplies for children in the homeless community for more than a decade, says a well-supplied backpack is a recognized need. Warren's office began collecting school supplies when one of his employees heard about the need at church. "We gave away 150 bags that first year and started outgrowing the space we had when the numbers grew to 1,000," Warren says. He says the office gave away 7,500 bookbags filled with school supplies in 12 years of working in conjunction with the Cumberland County Board of Realtors before COVID shut down the philanthropic operation in 2020. "We couldn't get the donations in or out of the space with the restrictions," Warren says, adding that his office also worked with Cumberland County Schools administrators to make sure children did not go without. "We started thinking about how unprepared children could be if they didn't have what they needed, if they didn't have a backpack or even a notebook. We started that year with the first Gotcha' Back in Bronco Square." – Kevin Brooks Other organizations in the community have stepped up over the years to help with supplies, even haircuts, for young people. Kevin Brooks and his wife, Gloria, started Gotcha' Back School Kickoff 15 years ago through his barbershop, Trimmerz, in Bronco Square. He has since sold the barbershop and started a nonprofit group called e Group eory Inc., which continues the work. Brooks started helping area children obtain school supplies when he realized how much was involved in the effort.

• Cover