ROANOKE, Va. – It was a busy morning at the rescue mission.
"They arrived before 6 o'clock, actually," said Stacy Boris, development assistant at the Roanoke Rescue Mission.
More than a hundred families lined up all around the parking lot to pre-register for the Back to School Blast.
“Which goes to show how much people in the community depend on this event for school supplies,” Boris said.
Consider Mary Ann, who is getting ready for the third grade.
"School means nothing without supplies, because you can't write or draw," said Mary Ann.
The 7-year old is grateful to the program for good reason.
“It helps me because my other book bag ripped,” said Mary Ann.
Other families have other concerns.
Andre Ntahonkurive says he struggles to purchase enough school supplies for his kids, all eight of them.
“It's difficult because if you don't have money you can't get supplies for eight kids. It's a lot of supplies,” Ntahonkurive said.
“It's a big family so these opportunities here are good for Roanoke and families with a big amount of people,” said Dionedi who’s getting ready to enter 8th grade.
But organizers say there's still a ways to go in preparation for the Back to School Blast.
“It's not over! We still need the community to come together to provide backpacks and additional supplies,” Boris said.
Currently, the rescue mission has collected 500 backpacks.
But they still need 700 more in order for everyone signed up to get a backpack.
These kids will be ready for school, thanks to the rescue mission and its supporters.
If you would like to donate a backpack or other school supplies, you can bring them to the Roanoke Rescue Mission.
The Back to School Blast will be held at Parkway Church on the Mountain on August 12.