The nonprofit The Texas Advocacy Project (TAP) has launched the Backpacks for Hope Campaign, which collects school supplies and backpacks for the children of victims of domestic abuse. This marks the 11th year for the drive.
Backpacks for Hope gives school supplies to students who are the children of survivors of domestic abuse, the nonprofit’s website explains, many of whom have been displaced from their own homes.
The nonprofit collects new backpacks full of supplies from various drop-off centers around North Texas and gives them to children currently living in shelters who have been displaced because of abuse.
“Domestic violence is often the buried secret. … We are grateful that places like Texas Advocacy Project are available to help those in need,” TAP Board Member Kristina Elizondo shared on the organization’s website.
The campaign will run until July 22. The Texas Advocacy Project expects to see requests for about 2,000 backpacks during this year’s campaign from shelters around Texas, according to NBC 5. Last year they gave away more than 1,600 backpacks to children in need.
“We need YOUR help to collect new backpacks and school supplies to distribute to children of survivors within shelters across Texas,” TAP shared on Facebook on June 21. “All Backpacks for Hope include a discreet tag that lists our legal line, 800.374.HOPE, and info about our free legal and social services.”
The Texas Advocacy Project appreciates every backpack donated, especially when the following supplies are included: pencils, rulers, highlighters, folders, binders, notebook paper, and facial tissue. However, they accept any new school supplies in their donations.
Multiple donation sites can be found around North Texas, NBC 5 reported. For example, there is one on each of the Dallas College campuses.
In addition to filling and donating a backpack, there are other ways to get involved in the campaign. According to the TAP website, Texans can also shop from the Amazon Wish List, volunteer their time, host a public donation drive or event, or make a monetary contribution.
The CEO of the Texas Advocacy Project, Heather Bellino, said that the group aims to stop violence before it happens.
Throughout North Texas, other nonprofits are also hosting back-to-school drives to collect supplies for students in need.
BOMA Great Dallas is holding a school supply drive to benefit its partner charities.
Its website states, “Each year BOMA Greater Dallas Foundation Community Service Committee, along with other BOMA Greater Dallas volunteers, join together to provide school supplies to the children of the charities supported by the BOMA Greater Dallas Foundation. ”
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas will be hosting a school supply drive until August 31.
“At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we understand that education opens doors, broadens horizons, and sets kids up for success,” the United Way website reads.
Education, health, and income are the primary building blocks of opportunity, the United Way believes. The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas aims to help teachers and students in local districts offset school expenses as they prepare for distance learning and social distancing — thereby helping them gain access to “the tools they need to succeed.”
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Dallas is in the midst of its annual drive to fill backpacks for kids who need supplies.
Community Partners of Dallas is another organization that will provide backpacks full of supplies, as well as uniforms, to students who have suffered abuse or neglect.
