As the countdown to the first day of the school year begins, a local real estate association is set to give students in Malheur County new backpacks filled with school supplies, pencils, rulers and binders.
The Four Rivers Association of Realtors, a group of real estate agents from Malheur, Canyon and Washington counties, raised $6,000 to buy supplies for students at local school districts.
The group plans to hand out nearly 700 backpacks filled with school supplies to ensure students have what they need.
Marty Justus, the Malheur County representative for the association and owner of Four Star Real Estate in Ontario, said the backpacks from Amazon. In Malheur County, they will go to students in the Ontario, Vale and Nyssa School Districts.
This is the first year the association has organized a backpack drive.
Justus said the association is looking to get more involved in the community. Businesses stepped up to get involved, too according to Justus. Justus said Steve Dominguez, owner of Hometown Toyota in Ontario, donated.
“It’s vital that we make sure kids have tools to be successful,” Justus said, “and we want to make sure that we set up our kids in our community to be successful.”