Backpack giveaway July 23

#Middlebury #cultureofgood #Southbury

Dmitriy Marchenko, Southbury Plaza Wireless Zone franchise owner, holds a couple of backpacks filled with school supplies. The backpacks will be given away to needy schoolchildren July 23. (Submitted photo)

The Wireless Zone store in the Southbury Plaza Shopping Center, a retailer offering exclusive Verizon products and services, has partnered with The Cellular Connection (TCC) and Culture of Good to donate backpacks full of school supplies to children in need through the brand’s fifth annual “School Rocks” Backpack Giveaway July 23.

Local families and their children can stop by Sunday, July 23, between 1 and 4 p.m. to pick up a backpack filled with school supplies such as pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders and glue. The giveaway will be under the shopping center clock tower in the center of the plaza, where they also will offer free face painting to kids. Southbury Plaza is at 100 Main St. N. in Southubry.

One backpack per child present will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Any leftover backpacks will be donated to local schools.

“We are proud to be part of such an amazing movement and pleased to partner with the company on an initiative like the backpack giveaway that aligns so well with our own store values,” said Dmitriy Marchenko, Southbury Plaza Wireless Zone franchise owner.

In 2015, the National Retail Federation predicted the average person with children in grades K-12 would spend $97.74 on school supplies. Wireless Zone and TCC are working to alleviate the rising costs of school supplies through this annual program. This year, they expect to give away 235,000 backpacks nationwide to ensure that all children are well prepared for the start of the school year. Supporters of the “School Rocks” Backpack Giveaway are encouraged to use the hashtag #cultureofgood on Instagram and Twitter to help spread the word.