Educational backpack drive to be hosted at the South Ormond Neighborhood Center

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

Ormond Beach's Martin Luther King Jr. Committee is working to ensure 400 local children are ready for the first day of school.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3, the committee will be hosting the first Carrying Hope Back 2 School event at the South Ormond Neighborhood Center. To be presented by Access Senior Resources and Consulting, the event will feature a free backpack giveaway, educational sessions, games and food catered by Gordon Food Service.

The event was proposed by Tina Carlyle, chair of the MLK committee and owner of ASRC, who said she was looking to increase outreach efforts in her own community.

"I want to start really giving more to my Ormond Beach community — letting them know that there are people out here that care," Carlyle said.

Then, she met Njeria Bell, an Ormond Beach resident who started her own backpack giveaway during the COVID-19 pandemic. That first year, she gave away 50 backpacks equipped with school supplies. Last year, the distributed 100 backpacks.

"There was just families and so many people that were just having a hard time," Bell said. "I just had this idea of 'No Child Left Behind.' I just started buying items out of my own pocket and getting donations from people that I knew."

Bell also distributed backpacks to children who were sick with COVID-19 during the pandemic, dropping them off on their doorsteps.

"There was this one kid – I can still remember, he was just ecstatic," Bell said. "He wanted a Spider-Man book bag and wasn't really more about the supplies. It was just about the book bag."

So when Carlyle asked Bell if she would like to join forces for the upcoming back-to-school event, Bell agreed. She said she looks forward to see a giveaway of 400 backpacks in the community.

"I'm excited to do that much because I was never able to reach that goal," she said.

At the event, the educational sessions will touch on topics such as safety, health and hygiene. There will also be information on resources that are available to help local families with meals, tutoring and other needs.

Being an advanced practice registered nurse, the education piece is important to Carlyle. She wants the kids to "carry hope" this year.

"We're just putting this together because we want our kids to be able to go to school this year, and moving forward, with a little bit less anxiety," Carlyle said. "A little bit something more to look forward to."

Bell said events like this one are very important to the community. They helped her a lot when she was growing up in Ormond, and she'd like to do the same for the next generation.

"I think it's important to give back ... because some people don't have family or they have the help that others have," Bell said. "So it's always necessary to give back if you've got it."