Marion school supply drive looks to meet community need

Published 2:29 pm Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Students throughout East Mississippi and West Alabama are nearing the end of their summer break, and as a new school year approaches, the Marion Police Department Foundation is gearing up for its annual school supply drive.

School supplies are piled high on the conference table at Marion Town Hall as the police department prepares for its upcoming school supply drive. Photo by Thomas Howard

The annual drive provides needed school supplies to hundreds of children both on the day of the event and in the weeks that follow. Last year, Police Chief Randall Davis rolled out a new initiative, “School All Year,” which saw the department and town officials drop off school supplies at local schools throughout the fall and spring.

“School has went on all year with us. It never stopped,” he said. “Even from our last one, I wish I could tell you, ‘Hey man, we ended it on this day.’ It never did end. The supplies that I had went all year.”

Davis said the need for supplies doesn’t stop once school starts, and making sure schools have a small stock on hand is one way the department can help students succeed.

This year’s school supply drive will take a different approach than previous years, with more than 500 backpacks loaded up with paper, pens, pencils and other supplies on students’ lists, Davis said. Those backpacks will then be given out to Marion residents when they come pay their water bills, he said.

The drive, however, will not be limited to Marion, and the department will work to meet the needs of any child as long as they have supplies to give, Davis said. MPD has helped provide school supplies to students as far away as York, Alabama, and beyond, he said.

“People that’s got kids in Marion, as they pay their water bill, they’ll be allowed to pick up for their kids,” he said. “And then you know other people just call and say, ‘Hey man, I need some help.’”

Some argue not everyone who receives school supplies from the drive is truly in need, Davis said, which he admits is likely true. The real question, however, is whether that is enough to stop helping those who are in a tight spot, he said.

“I wouldn’t care if somebody came up, and they were millionaires, and they had some young kids. We’re teaching them to give too,” he said. “We have got away from, in some households, teaching the kids the basics. That’s why a lot of them are still in trouble.”

Although Marion Police Department has a dedicated team of officers, completely eradicating crime from Marion and the surrounding area isn’t going to happen, Davis said. What it can do, however, is make sure as many young students as possible show up to class on day one with the proper supplies they need to learn and grow throughout the next school year.

“Let’s put the earnest and the effort into making the community the best you can,” he said. “And, like I said, I’ll say this 100 times, we’ve got control of that. All it is is a little effort and a little want too. That’s all.

Davis said he is fortunate to have a team of officers to help with the school supply initiative, which wouldn’t be possible without their help. The department also has support from the community, with residents donating school supplies and other needs in support of various initiatives throughout the year.

“We turn nobody away. We have no boundaries. No boundaries, whatsoever,” he said.