July 3 will mark the start date of the second annual Backpacks 4 Kids Drive, sponsored by the Troup County District Attorney’s Office. The event is meant to provide backpacks and basic school supplies to underprivileged elementary school children within Troup County and will run from July 3-31.

The drive was held last year for a combination of reasons, but more than any other was held to give children and families in underprivileged communities an alternative to relying on gangs for school supplies.

“Last year there were two things that really drove us to do the Backpacks 4 Kids program,” said Brett Adams, Troup County Assistant District Attorney. “The first being (the fact) a local gang, Growth and Development (affiliated with the Gangster Disciples), gave out backpacks full of school supplies to children in some of the neighborhoods two years ago. Myself and a few others realized that puts the children and families in a precarious situation, we wanted to step up and provide that service.”

Adams, wife is a teacher at Troup County High School, and the second reason the

backpack drive started was due to her longstanding desire to have all elementary school children start off each school year well-prepared and equipped.

Last year the effort allowed the District Attorney’s office to collect more than 600 backpacks full of school supplies for children. The goal this year is 750, according to Adams.

“750 is our goal,” Adams said. “This year we were able to work the price down from $20 to $10. We’re able to get a lot further than most people can. If you went to Wal-Mart, you’re not going to be able to get a backpack of the quality we’re getting, the size we’re getting that is filled with school supplies for only $10. We’re able to buy in bulk essentially wholesale, which is extremely helpful. Through my wife’s contacts we’ve been able to find the cheapest places to get bulk pencils, pens, things like that.”

While this effort is being spearheaded by the DA’s office, other groups and organizations within LaGrange and Troup County are helping with this effort as well.

“What we hope to do in the next few years is do a combined effort with other organizations,” Adams said. “Churches, nonprofits, the police department. We want to work with them to collect the most backpacks we can, essentially a county-wide drive.”

Supplies and donations may be dropped off at the District Attorney’s Office at 100 Ridley Avenue, Suite 3500 (third floor).

Any questions or inquiries can also be directed to Brett Adams at badams@pacga.org or Drew Case at dcase@pacga.org.