Panthers LB Davis, Classroom Central, Panthers charity to donate school supplies

Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis will partner with Classroom Central and Carolina Panthers Charities to distribute more than $22,750 worth of backpacks filled with much-needed school supplies to over 650 students at Devonshire Elementary School, one of the region’s most in-demand schools.

Davis will be joined by fellow Panthers players, TopCats cheerleaders Shannon and Alyssa, Panthers team mascot Sir Purr and volunteers from the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation, a charitable organization established by Davis and his wife Kelly in 2008.

The foundation aims to enhance the quality of life for more than 2,000 underprivileged children and their families annually through a variety of free programming.

The giveaway is part of Classroom Central’s Backpacks & Basics Program, an effort that outfits the region’s highest poverty schools with supply kits and backpacks for their entire student body.

Schools must be 100 percent free and reduced lunch to receive the program.

“I am excited to partner with Classroom Central and Carolina Panthers Charities on this year’s backpack distribution,” Davis said. “Growing up in a single-parent household, I understand what it’s like to go to school without basic supplies like paper and pencils. I am blessed to be in a position to give back and help youth succeed both in and out of the classroom.”

The distribution will be at 1 p.m. on Friday.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

• Chester Co. coroner says deadly I-77 crash 'worst I've ever seen'
• TROPICS: Hermine barreling toward Carolinas as a tropical storm
• Georgia murder suspect arrested after firing at officers in Gastonia
• Lowell police officer accused of impregnating 14-year-old arrested
• IMAGES: Deadly crash closes I-77 in Chester County

Cox Media Group