Moses Lake TCC to participate in free backpack giveaway
Sales Representative Mariah Bernier stands inside TCC's Moses Lake location holding two backpacks for Sunday's 11th Annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaways.
Gabriel Davis/Columbia Basin Herald
An Ephrata student selects a backpack at a previous backpack giveaway at TCC Moses Lake. This year's event is Sunday.
The exterior of TCC's Moses Lake Verizon Authorized Retailer, which will give away one backpack per child during Sunday's Backpack Giveaway from 1 to 3 p.m.
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake branch of mobile phone retailer TCC will participate in the nationwide 11th Annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. according to TCC’s website.
Mariah Bernier, a sales representative at TCC Moses Lake, said that this year's giveaway is her first, which is why she took it upon herself to work with her superiors on organizing the event.
"I think it’s important," said Bernier. "I know that sometimes my parents would struggle with school supplies and things, so I definitely think that it's good for those people who might be less fortunate that they can at least provide their kids the baseline of what they need to be successful in school.
A press release from Round Room, Inc. — the holding company for TCC and Wireless Zone, which will also participate in the giveaway — announced Wednesday that the giveaway will provide 120,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to children across the United States. The supplies include paper, writing utensils and other classroom tools.
According to the release, the giveaway limits backpacks to one per child and are handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis at each retail location. Any backpacks that are left after the event are donated to a school of each location's choice.
"I know that we usually have a pretty good turnout though, so we’re hoping to go through it all," said Bernier. "We’re definitely trying to get word out so people do show up and know that we have that as something that they can come take advantage of.”
The Moses Lake branch of TCC participates in the Backpack Giveaway every year and also holds other outreach events such as a pet adoption event or working with schools, said Bernier.
"We just like doing community outreach in general just to give back, so that’s definitely the biggest motivation I think behind doing things like the backpack giveaway," said Bernier.
Bernier said that Pizza Hut is working with TCC Moses Lake to provide food for kids and family members during the event and that TCC has also reached out to a face painter to potentially provide face painting at the event.
"We kind of want to make it something fun for the kids too, so that the kids are actually able to get involved," said Bernier.
“The School Rocks Backpack Giveaway is our company’s cornerstone annual event,” wrote Round Room CEO Scott Moorehead in the press release. “The start of the school year is an exciting time for many, and we look forward each and every year to making school supplies more accessible for students so they can thrive in the classroom.”
TCC Moses Lake is located at 221 S. Pioneer Way. For more information on the School Rocks Backpack Giveaways, visit www.tccrocks.com/backpack-giveaway.
Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android today.
