BURRILLVILLE – New backpacks filled with school supplies will be handed out to Burrillville families this weekend as part of a charitable effort to help those in need get ready for the new school year.
Two social media groups teamed up to collect donations and purchase the 160 new backpacks and supplies, which will be passed out for free to anyone who needs one at the Burrillville Farmer’s Market on Saturday, Aug. 14 at the Stillwater Mill Pavilion in Harrisville from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The backpack drive was organized by Facebook groups Burrillville Rocks and Burrillville Helping Burrillville, with funds raised at events over the past month.
“We have 160 to pass out,” said Roger Bourbonniere, founder of the “rocks,” group.
The group, a local division of the international Kindness Rocks movement formed four years ago, worked with the new charitable “helping” organization to collect supplies. That social media group, formed earlier this year, hopes to create a safe place where residents can reach out to help others, or to get support.
Bourbonniere noted that the supplies – including pens, pencils, notebooks, markers, glue, rulers and more – are geared primarily for elementary school, but that some backpacks are also available for high school and middle school students.
Members of Bourbonniere’s group will also be on hand at the market passing out rocks with smiley faces.
