School will be starting in just a few short weeks and the community will be asked to help get a head start on gathering school supplies for the parish’s children.
Glenda Allums says the campaign is a two-day event where school supplies will be collected in the Walmart parking lot to distribute to students in Minden at the Back to School Bash slated for August 3.
The bus will be in the parking lot from 4 until 8 p.m., Friday, July 24, and from 8 a.m. until noon, Saturday, July 25.
Sponsors for the Back to School Bash are asking that donors pick up school supplies on the supply lists from the schools for grades Pre-K through high school. Jennifer Spurlock, with Minden Medical Center, a banner sponsor for the Back to School Bash, says supply lists will be available on those dates.
“When we are at the Pack the Bus (event), we’ll be handing out supply lists for people going into Walmart,” Spurlock said, “but it can be anything from pencils to crayons, to loose leaf paper to backpacks.”
Allums, with ConocoPhillips, also a banner sponsor, says in the past, they have not had many donations of kindermats, the mats used by Pre-K and kindergarten students for rest time during the school day, because of costs. “We try to buy (kindermats), but we get as many donations as possible at the Pack the Bus event,” Allums said, “and we take the donated funds from the sponsorships along with the funds collected at Pack the Bus and (from) citizens, and we go shopping. We do an inventory to determine what’s needed for the bags (for the Back to School Bash).”
Many of the supplies being sought are items like notebooks, binders, school glue, pencils, pens and other supplies students will need.
Allums says if each shopper will pick up at least one or two items to donate, it will add up.
For more information, contact Allums at 382-4508 or Usula Hullaby at 377-7052, ext. 228.