ROANOKE, Va. – Total Action for Progress (TAP) gave away free school supplies to families ahead of the second half of the school year.
Grades Over Guns is among a series of events with the purpose of reducing gun violence in the community.
Middle and high schools students will be set up for success with the tools needed for school.
Many school supply drives and giveaways happen before the school year even begins. Jason Hairston with TAP says this giveaway helps around a time when families may be using their money for gifts and other things.
“Just the basic essentials. They may not need a backpack again, but they still need some more of those supplies that they had at the beginning of the school year to help carry them through the rest of the school year,” Hairston said.
Hairston is a father himself, so he understands how valuable education can be in terms of setting up kids for success.
“I think gun violence comes from not being able to know what you should do or what you can do in the community. If you’re not educated in the proper way, you don’t know which way you can go,” Hairston said.
Theresa Sullivan went home with some school supplies for her kid and other kids she knew might need them. Sullivan believes these sorts of events are for the parents just as much as the kids.
“It allows a way for the parents to be able to come together. Make sure that we all…it takes a village. It takes a village to help out with everything,” Sullivan said.
TAP will have another event in January, and will continue to have these sorts of events for all of next year as well.