Sunrise anchor Samantha Byrd spoke with the United Way's executive director about the effort.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The United Way of Yuma is hosting its first school supplies drive since 1999. However, a different organization is hosting this drive.

“It was previously housed at the YRMC Foundation, but during the COVID-19 pandemic it was moved to the United Way of Yuma County,” said Karina Jones, executive director of United Way of Yuma County.

When asked what he was giving out to students in Yuma County, Jones responded:

“We're distributing backpacks filled with school supplies to every school in the county, so we're distributing backpacks filled with school supplies to every district in Yuma, from Wellton to Gadsden to Summerton to San Luis.”

When asked what sets United Way's school supply drive apart from other organizations, Jones said:

“We provide backpacks filled with supplies directly to the schools. The schools submit a request and say they have about 50 students, sometimes as many as 150, who need backpacks. So we set aside an amount for each school and deliver these backpacks to the schools before the school year starts. Then, if a kid comes in who doesn't have a backpack, the school just gives them one. There's nothing on the backpacks. It doesn't say United Way. It's not branded, because we don't want kids to feel left out because they know, 'Oh, this is a free backpack.' So it's filled with everything they need: supplies, a water bottle, headphones. And they get it on the first day of school.”

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