BREWER -- With the new school year right around the corner, a local teen is helping to make back to school shopping a little easier for families in the region.

Ava Burke, 14, is making a difference one backpack at a time.

Since she was just six years old, the Brewer teen has been collecting backpacks to donate to Penquis's "We've Got Your Back" drive.

"My birthday is right around back to school time, it was actually just last week, and I figured why not give things to other kids that might not have what they need for back to school," said Burke. "I had no idea that this would become what it has now."

The program provides school supplies to over a thousand students across Penobscot, Piscataquis and Knox counties to help relieve the financial burden of school shopping.

This year, Showc

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