Toys for Tots Hosting Backpack Drive for Foster Children

The Local Toys for Tots Foster Care Initiative is running a backpack drive to benefit Foster Care Youth within Cleveland, Dallas, Jefferson, and Lincoln Counties. Backpacks for elementary, middle school, and high school youth may be dropped off at the Rison United Methodist Church and the libraries of Fordyce, Star City, White Hall, and Redfield. Donations of stuffed animals, games, and other things will also be accepted. All items should be in a new condition. Additionally, we will be accepting backpacks, toys, books, puzzles, games, and other donations at the Blossoms of Star City Car Show, 702 N. Drew St. from 9-3 on Saturday, May 24, while also distributing books, weather permitting, for youth 0-18 at this program. This will be one of the last distribution of books this Spring at area events with the last one being the Food Truck Friday at the Pioneer Village in Rison in June.So far this Spring, with your donations, we’ve been able to hand out over 1,000 books to youth at various events in our area from Fordyce to Star City to Rison, and White Hall. We’ve also teamed up with the local libraries providing close to 1,300 books as incentives to youth engaged in the Summer Reading Programs. Additionally, we’ve been able to support community service organizations serving area youth such as the CASA Women’s Shelter, CASA Voices for Children, and The Community Services Office.While we’ve already donated about a dozen draw-string promotional style backpacks to the Dallas County Foster Care Program, we’d really like better backpacks that youth can utilize during the school year. Additionally and unfortunately, foster children are removed from everything that they know and are placed in a completely unknown situation. They also often leave their homes with only a small plastic bag of their belongings. Through the Toys for Tots Foster Care Initiative, working in conjunction with The Call, DHS, The Provision Care Closet, and the Jeff...