Alfred Street Baptist Church To Donate New Backpacks To 2,000 Underserved Youth In The Wash, DC Area

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - July 22, 2014 - PRLog -- Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC), the largest and oldest African American congregation in Alexandria, VA, (located minutes from downtown Washignton, DC) will be distributing brand new backpacks, gift cards, shoes, coats and other essential “first day of school” supplies to 2,000 pre-selected low income youth and their families who reside in the underserved communities of Alexandria, Virginia and surrounding areas on Saturday, July 26 through its Brother’s Keeper Program. This distribution will take place at Alfred Street Baptist Church, located at 301 South Alfred Street, Alexandria, VA from 8:30am to 3pm. The “First Day of School” will arrive for most students in this area between the middle of August and the first few days following Labor Day.  Single moms, low income families, and families in underserved communities usually spend the month of July scrambling to find backpacks and other school supplies on sale in hopes that they will fit into their tight budgets.  Unfortunately, the cost of new clothes, uniforms, and school supplies can really eat into a family’s finances. However, not having these items can play a critical role in a child’s success and self-confidence as they return to school after a long summer break.

ASBC’s Brother’s Keeper program is one of the many ways the church has chosen to give back to the city of Alexandria and surrounding communities. This year, ASBC’s 12^th annual Brother’s Keeper outreach project is estimated to reach 2,000 children in total-1,000 underserved children and their families onsite -these families have registered in advance for the event. An additional 1,000 backpacks and other essential school supplies will be delivered to some area schools and shelters for another 1,000 children.

In addition to new backpacks and school supplies, some of the participants will receive new winter coats, hats, gloves, school uniforms and gift cards for new shoes. Moreover, ASBC’s Brother’s Keeper will provide FREE medical and dental screenings.

“All of us can play a part,” said, Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, pastor at Alfred Street.  “We can all help fulfill wish lists in very small ways (that) will make a big difference.”  “Everyone should want to help knowing that they are providing just some of the basic supplies that kids need in order to excel in the classroom.” he continued. “This is a way to pay it forward.”

“For the 12^th year in a row we are happy to be supporting the Alexandria community and surrounding areas by drawing attention to the needs of school aged children in this area," said Amanda Stafford, director of Brother’s Keeper. “We are excited to provide these hard-working families and children with new backpacks and new school supplies. We are pleased to have another chance to demonstrate our commitment to them.”

This daylong event is a huge undertaking which usually involves over 300 adult and youth volunteers who assist in a variety of ways to make participants feel at home. Bilingual volunteers will also on site to serve as interpreters. Additionally, “buddy” escorts will be assigned to the children to assist with registration, food and gift distribution.

The Brother’s Keeper outreach project began in 2003 as part of the church’s bicentennial celebration and has served nearly 12,000 children since its inception.  Brother’s Keeper is among the plethora of community outreach projects which take place at the church—ranging from delivering winter coats to homeless shelters to the annual fall Health Fair to the Feed the 5,000 food distribution all designed to positively impact the city of Alexandria.

Alfred Street Baptist Church is located in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and has served the community for more than 200 years. For more information, click on www.alfredstreet.org; www.facebook.com/AlfredStreetBaptistChurch; or follow the church on Twitter @AlfredStreetBC.