ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Donate to the 10 Cares McDonald's Back to School Supplies Drive to help local children get ready for the upcoming school year.
Whatever you drop off at your local McDonald's will end up at your local schools.
There is a big need in school districts. Roanoke City Schools have a high poverty rate with about 76 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches.
"We aren't talking about extravagant stuff for the most part. It's just demoralizing for a young child not to have the supplies that their friends have and so what we try to do is equalize that," said Dr. Rita Bishop, Roanoke City School Superintendent. "We have many students who don't have that joy that you and I had. we get to go with our moms and pick out all of next years school supplies. All the pretty new things that are out for the new school season. Our students, many of them just don't have that kind of experience. We really do need school supplies desperately."
Families with children in grades K-12 plan to spend just over $670 this year. The National Retail Federation says total spending on supplies is expected to reach nearly $76 billion, up from last year's $68 billion.
Drop off supplies children can use through August 7 at 54 local McDonald's restaurants in Southwest and Central Virginia. Look for the specially marked box inside each restaurant.
"It's really special and I know it will bring a smile to the kid's faces, to our staff's faces and to our owner/operators just knowing that we were able to partner with the community to promote this back to school drive," said Courtney Cooper, McDonald's area supervisor. "There are 54 restaurants that make up the southwest Virginia marketplace reaching from Amherst to the east, Wythe County and Carroll County in the west all the way from the north of Covington to the south of Martinsville and South Boston centered around the Roanoke and Lynchburg area."
Items you can donate include: Glue Sticks, Crayola crayons, boxes of tissues, highlighters, pens, pencils, notebooks, loose leaf notebook paper, folders, backpacks, scissors, dry erase markers
Below are the McDonald's locations accepting donations:
- 3402 Orange Avenue, Roaonke
- 1335 Hershberger Road, Roanoke
- 701 Williamson Road NE, Roaonke
- 2801 Franklin Road, Roanoke
- 2071 Electric Road, Roanoke
- 4525 Challenger Avenue, Roanoke
- 809 Hardy Road, Vinton
- 1203 W. Main Street, Salem
- 101 Electric Road, Salem
- 2072 Apperson Drive, Salem
- 3108 Old Forest Road, Lynchburg
- 4030 Ward Road, Lynchburg
- 11059 Wards Road, Rustburg
- 404 Main Street, Altavista
- 2125 Wards Road, Lynchburg
- 21047 Timberlake Road, Lynchburg
- 2325 Memorial Avenue, Lynchburg
- 13721 US Hwy 29 & 703, Chatham
- 1435 Piney Forest Road, Danville
- 1463 S. Boston Road, Danville
- 651 West Main Street, Danville
- 348 Old Riverside Drive, Danville
- 2756 Greensboro Road, Martinsville
- 202 W. Commonwealth Blvd, Martinsville
- 2757 S. Virginia Avenue, Collinsville
- 5745 Virginia Avenue, Bassett
- 110 Turner Street, Blacksburg
- 1595 N. Franklin Street, Christiansburg
- 2385 Roanoke Street, Christiansburg
- 4641 Cleburne Blvd, Dublin
- 925 E. Main Street, Pulaski
- 7484 Lee Highway, Radford
- 1195 N. 4th Street, Wytheville
- Route 2 Box 428, Max Meadows
- 4153 Blacklick Road, Rural Retreat
- 17949 Forest Road, Forest
- 14901 Forest Road, Forest
- 1128 East Lynchburg Turnpike, Bedford
- 231 Old Pipers Gap Road, Lambsburg
- 953 E. Stuart Drive, Galax
- 1877 Carrollton PIke Road, Hillsville
- 970 Tanyard Road, Rocky Mount
- 104 Vaden Street, Gretna
- 135 Richmond Highway, Amherst
- 4971 S. Amherst Highway, Madison Heights
- 44 Sterratt Road, Fairfield
- 63 East Midland Trail, Lexington
- Rt 501 & Cherry Avenue, South Boston
- Highway 58 & 501 Riverdale, South Boston
- US 29 Bypass & Callohill, Lovingston
- 1801 Wenonah Ave, Pearisburg
- Highway 460 & Court Street, Appomattox
- Mallow Mall Shopping Center, Covington
- 2647 Lee Highway South, Troutville