The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida is seeking the community’s help in meeting its goal of providing backpacks full of school supplies to 200 youths.

“It can cost parents around $600 to send one child back to school with new supplies. We are hoping to collect about 200 backpacks during the drive to help students go back to school prepared,” CEO Julie Boudreaux said in a prepared statement. “Backpacks and school supplies are given to children in need throughout the year by the Center, filled with clothes and any items we can provide for our clients and their families.”

Children’s Advocacy Center Director of Prevention Services John “JJ” Wheeler said although their goal is 200 backpacks every year, this year with the cost of everything increasing, they are trying to provide more.

“Anything they can drop off that the kids might need would be very beneficial,” he said of school supplies. “We are not expecting people to donate fully stocked backpacks.”

There are two drop-off locations, Cape Coral Police Department, 1100 Cultural Park Blvd. and the Children’s Advocacy Center, 3830 Evans Ave., Fort Myers. Donations of new school supplies can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. before July 20.

Blessings in a Backpack of Southwest Florida and the Cape Coral Police Department kicked off the annual Community Backpack Drive this month.

The drive contributed a generous donation of backpacks, school items and shelf-stable food. Brown & Brown Insurance sponsored this year’s backpack drive to help the center reach its goal.

“Education is so important, and Brown & Brown is excited to participate as a sponsor for this year’s backpack drive,” Jake Sherwin, Employee Benefits Advisor, said in a prepared statement. “The Children’s Advocacy Center has certainly defined itself as one of the most impactful nonprofit organizations in Southwest Florida, and we look forward to working with them to provide local students with the tools they need to be successful in the upcoming school year as well as watch the continued growth, impact, and value that this organization brings to our local communities.”

The backpacks are distributed to any school-aged youth at two of their locations, East United Way House and Pine Manor.

Wheeler said any pressure they can take off a parent is wonderful, so they do not have to worry about their child going to school supplied and prepared.

“Anything we can do to take pressure off is definitely the goal,” Wheeler said. “We are really appreciative. Everyone is so generous. This is the second biggest time when we see donations, when school is starting.”

The Children’s Advocacy Center began in 1981 with a mission to provide coordinated responses to victims of child abuse and neglect, so the lives of at-risk children and their families can be improved through prevention services. Those services include abuse determination services, therapeutic counseling, pet therapy, advocacy and parenting education. All services are free of charge.

Wheeler said they recently celebrated 40 years. He said they are continuing to expand services, outreach and prevention programs, in Pine Manor and the Palm Beach community. They are still seeing about 150 children a month.

“Six hundred dollars can be a lot to certain people, stressors that put someone off and causes something bad to happen. Anything we can do to help take pressure off families,” Wheeler said.

For more information, or how to support the drive, call (239) 939-2808.