Niagara County Pride held their first back to school drive on Sunday morning, with the goal to collect 50 backpacks full of school supplies, masks for kids, and hand sanitizer.

If you missed your chance, there will be one more weekend where you can donate.

On Sunday Aug. 30, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., you can head over to Canal Street in Lockport and there will be a donation table next to Lake Effect Ice Cream.

Ronald Piaseczny, the group leader for Niagara County Pride, says these backpacks will be donated to organizations that work with LGTBQ youth.

"LGBTQ youth do have a lot of additional challenges that sometimes their straight counterparts do not experience in schools,” he said. “Increased bullying, they do have higher suicide rates compared to non-LGBTQ individuals and so we just want to have that focus to say hey this is an important population. We want to make sure they have a safe environment.”

Piaseczny helped establish Niagara County Pride, which is the only LGBTQ group in the county.

"There was a prior organization here in Niagara Falls that was just for the city, an LGBTQ group, and over the years, there was dwindling membership and just a lack of interest which happens with organizations,” he said. “Basically, we went back to the Pride Center and worked on a way of expanding that group and expanding that focus and re-doing it as Niagara County Pride, so it wasn’t focused here in Niagara Falls.”

This allows the group to serve people in other towns like Olcott, Wilson and North Tonawanda.

They've held community events that are open to everyone, from their big July picnic to an all-inclusive Thanksgiving dinner.

"It is something that is needed,” said Piaseczny. “Even though you don't necessarily consider Niagara County super rural, there are individuals that live throughout the county that may be struggling with their identity, feeling alone. So our mission is to basically be out there, show people we are here, there is a group they can come too."

He says there are a lot of ways people can get involved with the organization. Right now, the group holds virtual meetings on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.