"Many of these families are coming here with nothing they're having to start from zero."
A local nonprofit is stepping up to make sure hundreds of immigrant and refugee children have the supplies they need to start the school year.
International Child Advancement collected backpacks and school supplies through the end of July and early August and will distribute them to pre-registered children on Wednesday morning at International Preparatory School at Grover Cleveland #187.
The distribution event runs from 9:30 until 11:30 a.m. and will include a financial literacy event for children, hosted by M&T Bank volunteers, from 10:30–11:30 a.m.
But ICA says it still needs more backpacks and school supply donations, with the goal of supplying 300 children ahead of the return to school.
"Many of these families are coming here with nothing they're having to start from zero, so with that in mind, your priority as a parent is making sure you can keep that roof over your head, pay those bills so these families that are starting from zero having someone to alleviate that expensive is major because it gets kind of pricey," said Evelyn Kessler, executive director of International Child Advancement.
The organization is asking that you buy supplies through its Amazon wish list or that you make a monetary donation here.
