TORONTO – Rogers Cable today kicked off its annual Rogers School Supply Drive. The drive supports the Daily Bread Food Bank by providing school supplies for underprivileged children across the Greater Toronto Area.
According to the Food Bank, 66,500 children access food banks each month. The average family relying upon food banks, including children, has only $11.98 per day to meet all of their needs – including food – so new school supplies become a luxury.
Daily Bread’s 2005 survey of people relying upon food banks indicated that 26% of parents cannot afford school supplies for their children. Some items in demand are: pens, erasers, rulers, glue sticks, notebooks, calculators, and pencil cases. Donations can be made at any of the 44 local Rogers Video stores until the end of August.
"So many children across the GTA who are in need of school supplies benefit from the Rogers School Supply Drive," said Sue Cox, executive director of the Daily Bread Food Bank. "We are pleased to lighten the load for so many needy families."
"The Rogers School Supply Drive is a community project that allows students to focus on learning," said Carol Ring, president, Toronto Region, Rogers Cable. "No child should have to worry about not being able to do their best on an assignment simply because they don’t have the necessary supplies."
Throughout the summer the Rogers School Supply Drive will collect donations across Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland in the following Rogers Video stores:
www.rogersvideo.ca/aboutus/schoolSupplylocations.htm
Rogers employees are also contributing cash and supplies to help this cause. Last year, Rogers raised 5,300 lbs of school supplies and the objective in 2005 is to increase that by 25%.
