Eckerd and Kids Charity of Tampa Bay have teamed up for the 4th year in a row to provide backpacks stuffed with school supplies to abused, abandoned and neglected children.

Corporate and community volunteers have been at Eckerd’s Family Place located in the heart of North Tampa since Monday stuffing backpacks and will continue until all the 2,000 backpack are filled on Friday. More than 40 local organizations came together to provide school-aged children with the tools they need to succeed in school.

There are nearly 7,000 foster children in the Tampa Bay area right now with 70 percent of them in Pre-K through High School. Donations are still being accepted. For a list of ways to help foster children or to make a donation, visit Kids Charity of Tampa Bay at www.kidscharitytb.org or call 813-843-1833.

Kids Charity of Tampa Bay is a nonprofit organization that improves the quality of life for foster children by providing advocacy, opportunities, support and resources. Community initiatives address basic needs and urgent issues facing children in foster care. These include an Education initiative, Holiday Gift Drive, Safety Net program for foster families and our most significant initiative, A Kid’s Place of Tampa Bay. Kids Charity serves more than 4,000 foster children each year.

Eckerd Community Alternatives, as contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families, is the community-based care lead agency for child welfare and foster care services in the Tampa Bay area (Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties), serving nearly 7,000 children and their families each day

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