Byram students send aid to kids in Afghanistan

Byram - Fifth-grade students at the Byram Intermediate School have taken on an exciting project following the deployment of one of the school’s D.A.R.E. officers to Afghanistan. The officer, Lieutenant Peter Zabita of the Byram Police Dept., was deployed to Afghanistan in February. Through letters and pictures that Zabita sent to the school, the children learned of the widespread poverty in that country. Zabita explained how the schools he visits have very few supplies. Items as simple as pencils bring smiles to the faces of the children. Zabita had been purchasing small items on his own. His wife has also been sending packages of toys and candy for him to distribute to the children. Upon learning about this, the fifth-graders decided to “adopt” some schools in the area of Gardez, where Zabita is stationed. The fifth-graders encouraged other students in the sixth through eighth grades to bring in school supplies to donate to these schools. With the assistance of the Byram Police Dept. and the PBA, supplies will be boxed and sent to Zabita in Afghanistan, where he will deliver and distribute these and other gifts that have been collected.