A mom in Lynchburg, Virginia is collecting school supplies for children in her community. Brenda Moss has been organizing this annual backpack drive for years in honor of her late son, who was lost to gun violence in 2014. The Shawn Moss Wellness and Growth Foundation will be giving away 100 backpacks filled with notebooks, pencils, and other necessary items.
“Shawn loved kids and he wanted to see kids successful in whatever they did and he wanted them to know that there was nothing they cannot do,” said Brenda, according to WSET. “So, the backpack drive says that if I’m not able to get certain things there’s a resource that I can do that. Having kids established and having them have the things that they need, sets them up for success and that’s what we want to do.”
So far, the foundation has all the backpacks they need for the event, but they’re still looking for classroom supplies to fill them up. Items on their list include crayons, calculators, composition books, and folders. For locals who wish to donate some of these physical items, Brenda has offered to personally pick them up.
For those from other communities who wish to donate, or those who don’t feel confident shopping for school supplies, the organization is also accepting monetary donations through Venmo account @brenda-moss-8. The plan is to distribute the fully furnished backpacks on July 29 in Jefferson Park.
The annual backpack drive is only one of the ways that the Shawn Moss Wellness and Growth Foundation is helping the Lynchburg community. In February, the organization announced via Facebook that they would be collecting donations for a local family whose 13-year-old was killed by gun violence. In addition to fundraising events, Brenda has also organized workshops and classes to bring people together and raise awareness for a variety of causes.
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