Free School Supplies Donated to Broward Elementary Students

in Seminole Heights will give every student at Broward Elementary School with a backpack full of all the school supplies they will need for the 2011-2012 school year at no cost to the families, according to a news release.

Known as “Backpack Attack Tampa 2011,” this is the fourth year Common Ground has organized a program to give away backpacks and school supplies. This is the first year that Backpack Attack has focused solely on a local public school.

Common Ground will deliver the filled backpacks for the over 400 students who attend Broward Elementary to their classroom teachers on Aug. 17. Students will then receive their backpack and supplies from their teachers at the school’s open house on Aug. 22.

Brad Barmore, Common Ground’s Director of Community Impact, is coordinating this year’s Backpack Attack. Members of Common Ground, along with friends and partners from across the country, donated supplies and money to Backpack Attack Tampa 2011.

“We are excited to be able to ease the burden of back to school shopping for all of the families of Broward Elementary,” said Barmore. “We love Broward here at Common Ground, and we want to let their families know that they are loved by God and loved by us.”

Over the past three years, Common Ground has given away nearly 4,000 backpacks with school supplies to families in the urban corridor of Tampa, Barmore said. This year, Common Ground chose to focus on their neighborhood school.

 “While kids and their families have benefitted greatly from these acts of benevolence in the past, Backpack Attack Tampa 2011 is more a focused, intentional, and sustainable effort than ever before," Barmore said. "God has opened up a great opportunity for us to take the message of Christ’s love into the public schools, and we are going to make the most of this chance in front of us.”

It will take between $10,000-12,000 worth of school supplies to put together all of the backpacks for Backpack Attack Tampa 2011. Common Ground is also preparing 50-100 backpacks for families already connected with the church.

Church members and attendees of Common Ground will be stuffing and preparing the backpacks on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the church, located at 4207 North Blvd. Community members are encouraged to join in the backpack preparation.

For more information, contact Barmore at bradb@commongroundtampa.com or 813-232-1400. Information can also be found online at backpackattacktampa.com or commongroundtampa.com.