Hamilton – August 26^th, 2022

Earlier today, on behalf of the Mayor and City Council, Councillor John Harvey publicly thanked organizers and sponsors of the Back to School: School Bag and Supply Drive.

The special giveaway event will see school supplies distributed free of charge this afternoon on the steps of City Hall for families in need of this support.

The school supply drive was organized by Mr. Antoine Wade and his family, who have been spearheading this initiative for over ten years. This year they will be giving away 500 school bags and 300 stationary supply pouches.

Councillor Harvey provided welcome remarks at the event saying, “Times have not been easy recently for many; it seems the cost of everything we touch only increases. Parents are having to make hard choices about what they buy and what they leave on the shelf. Now, thankfully, due to the kindness and generosity of Mr. Antoine Wade and his family, school supplies are not something on which families will need to compromise. Every child deserves access to proper school supplies, otherwise they are starting the school year already behind their peers – and that is simply not fair. No child should be held back because they don’t have the necessary tools to complete their work.”

Councillor Harvey also thanked the Department of Public Transportation for their support with this initiative, inclusive of personal staff donations, as well as ZipX who covered all shipping costs for the school supplies.