The Young Executives will be hosting its 5th Back to School Drive and Job Fair on Saturday, July 24 at 5 p.m.

The event will take place at Rodney’s Store, located at 1318 South St. in Vicksburg.

The school supply drive will be accepting any and all school supplies, but organizers are asking the community to also place emphasis on bringing hand sanitizer for the children returning to school.

Jeremy Meekins, chairman at the Young Executives, said it is important to have the school drive because it will help so many people cut down on what they need to purchase to help their children succeed in school.

“We like to be a blessing to other people, and this can take the burden off of people’s backs,” Meekins said.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade can benefit from the school supplies accumulated by the event. Meekins said he hopes the event will help improve graduation rates in the community and academic scores across Mississippi.

“I hope that everybody gets what they need and they can start the school year out with a bang, without having to worry about anything and focus on the school year,” Meekins said.

The event isn’t only to obtain school supplies for students, but also jobs for those who are currently unemployed. Meekins said they want all types of businesses at the event so there is a job for everyone in the community.

“With the pandemic, people lost jobs and are in definite need of jobs,” Meekins said.

Currently, the event has more than 10 businesses coming to the job fair, including restaurants, Alcorn State University and many more. However, more businesses are wanted and needed to join the job fair. Businesses can sign up to participate by contacting Meekins at 404-906-1411 or meekinsjeremy@gmail.com.

Meekins said the event is meant to be a fun time for everyone. DJ KG will be present at the event to provide music and use his talents to give back to the community.

“I want this to be a community affair and more than just a school supply drive,” Meekins said.