A local restaurant and business teamed up Sunday evening to help area children head back to school with some new supplies, and plenty of smiles.
Lyric Restaurant & Bar and Trendsetters Investments LLC hosted their Inaugural Backpack Giveaway on Sunday, August 16, providing free backpacks filled with school supplies and snacks to local children.
The giveaway was organized by Lyric Restaurant & Bar owner Ruth Williams and her husband, Dwight, who owns Trendsetters Investments. Williams said the idea grew from the couple's desire to give something back to the community they now call home.
"The kids are our future, so we like to put into our children," Williams said. "We were thinking we wanted to give back to the community, and the first thing we thought about was the kids. So, we came up with the backpack giveaway idea."
For the inaugural event, the couple purchased the backpacks and supplies themselves. Each backpack was packed with school essentials, along with some snacks for the children.
Williams said approximately 60 backpacks were prepared for Sunday's giveaway, with dozens already handed out during the event.
The children were able to choose their own backpacks, something Williams said added to their excitement.
"They were very excited," Williams said. "They were happy that they got to come in and pick their own."
After selecting their backpacks, the children could grab snacks and enjoy light refreshments.
"I did see a lot of smiles on the faces and even on the parents," Williams said. "So that made everything worth it."
While Sunday's giveaway marked the first year for the event, Williams said she hopes it is only the beginning. The goal is to grow the giveaway in future years, potentially with donations from others in the community, allowing the businesses to help even more families.
"We're hoping that we can keep it going," Williams said. "This is our first year, but we're hoping next year we'll be able to get donations and make it bigger."
If additional supplies are available in future years, Williams said she would also like to find ways to get them into the hands of other local families who need assistance.
"We do know that it's tough," she said. "We were hoping that we were able to help out with your family by giving back."
Williams said the giveaway wasn't just about helping parents with the expense of school supplies. It was also a way to make the beginning of another school year something children could look forward to.
"This makes it exciting for the kids, too," Williams said. "They can come get their bookbags and get a little bit excited to go back to school with their new stuff."
The businesses are already looking ahead to the holidays where they hope to hold a Toys 4 Tots Toy Drive.
