‘BRAVE’ GIVES BACK
Extra clothing from NBC production will help APS help homeless students
Film and TV productions in New Mexico have a history of giving back to the community.
On Monday, NBC donated 20 racks of new clothing from “The Brave” to the Albuquerque Public Schools’ Title I Homeless Project.
“We were really fortunate to receive a phone call from NBC and ‘The Brave,’” said Patrick Scott, liaison of the APS Title I Homeless Project. “Producers heard about our program and reached out to us.”
The homeless project helps homeless students to reach their potential as productive members of society.
Scott is expecting another shipment Thursday from “The Brave.” The clothing racks and office fixtures will be donated to the APS Community Clothing Bank.
“We’re going to share the wealth,” he said. “We’re hoping to foster a relationship with the industry and NBC.”
Bill Johnson, co-executive producer of “The Brave,” said NBC Universal always looks for a way to make a difference in the community where a production is filming.
“The clothes are from the first episode shot in Albuquerque,” Johnson said. “We had doubles, triples and quadruples of plenty of items. We thought this is something that could really help.”
Homeless children are eligible for these services regardless of where they attend school.
Scott said the program is more than 20 years old and has helped thousands of teens. Its purpose is to keep children stable and in school.
He said many families experience circumstances that can cause the loss of a permanent home.
Children and youth are considered homeless if they:
Live in transitional or emergency shelters;
Live in motels, cars, abandoned buildings or other inadequate accommodations;
Are “doubled up” (two or more families in the same household); or
Are runaways or youth rendered homeless by their parents.
Scott said donations are welcome year-round, but new clothes around the holidays really help.
Title I is a federally-funded program designed to meet the needs of students primarily in the areas of language arts, math, science and higher thinking skills.