Durham nonprofit hosts back-to-school party, backpack giveaway
Dozens of children and their parents lined up before dawn on Thursday to receive backpacks, clothes and food at the Durham Rescue Mission's 15th annual back-to-school party.
Posted — UpdatedThe nonprofit gave away nearly 3,00 backpacks filled with supplies, and they handed out 1,800 bags of groceries and more than 11,000 articles of clothing.
The event drew nearly 4,400 people.
"This community event is a necessity in this economy. Many families are just one paycheck away from being homeless," Durham Rescue Mission co-founder Ernie Mills said. "Our goal, as always, is to provide children with the tools they need to get excited about going back to school, all of which is possible because of our generous sponsors and tireless volunteers."
Volunteers from GlaxoSmithKline and other organizations arrived at 7 a.m. to begin preparing backpacks, and the giveaway began at 9 a.m.
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