Children have geared up for the start of the school year with the help of a school supplies giveaway.Antoine Wade held his annual school drive to help youngsters start their school year off with free bags, rulers and writing equipment.Mr Wade, who has organised a back-to-school event for at least five years, admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic put a lot of families in need of assistance.He added that, although everyone who showed up to the hourlong event got kitted out, he had worried there would not be enough supplies for everyone.Mr Wade said: “Times are hard right now and there’s a lot of people out of work and a lot of families struggling.“This is our way of trying to give back and help the community the best we can under these unfortunate circumstances.”He added: “We don’t have much — I don’t have much — but if this is the least I can do as a member of the Wade family to help and assist then so be it.”He was speaking on the steps of City Hall in Hamilton last Friday as hundreds of people visited the stand to pick up the items.Mr Wade was joined by members of his family and coworkers from the Department of Public Transportation, who volunteered to hand out supplies at the drive.He said that each child received a school bag filled with pens, pencils, rulers and erasers.Mr Wade admitted that he had to ship the school bags from the United States instead of Thailand, where he usually gets his supplies, but added that courier ZipX covered shipping costs.He added that Jamahl Simmons, a PLP MP in the last government and the chairman of the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation, and his wife made “a very huge donation” to help the family buy the supplies.Mr Simmons, who also volunteered at the drive, said: “I’m just glad to be able to help.”