Clinton County School Supply Drive August 15
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
The 6th Annual Clinton County School Supply Drive will once again provide free backpacks and school supplies to local families on Saturday, August 15, from 2pm to 5pm at First Christian Church, 120 Columbus Street in Wilmington. Organizers Jason Stoops and Leah Lorenz said the event exists to, “Help local kids be prepared for school and take pressure off the parents who have enough going on.”
Students attending school in Clinton County are eligible to receive supplies. Families should bring proof that they live in the county or that their child attends a Clinton County school, and the student must be present. The event is free and will provide backpacks and school supplies for students from Pre-K through college. Amazon will again donate and serve food.
To help remove transportation barriers, a church bus will also provide transportation for families from the Clinton County Homeless Shelter and Brownberry Apartments.
The greatest current needs include 1-inch binders and college-ruled loose-leaf paper, but many additional supplies are still needed, including: Crayola crayons/markers/colored pencils, glue sticks, supply boxes, pencils, scissors, headphones/earbuds, wide or college-ruled spiral notebooks/composition notebooks/loose-leaf paper, folders, dry-erase markers, pencil pouches, highlighters, pens, and 1-inch binders.
Organizers ask that all donated items be new and name-brand quality. Any unused supplies will be saved for next year's event. Donations may be dropped off at Generations Pizza, Bite Size Market, Beauty Bar & Salon, First Christian Church, Midnight Auto, Quaker Church, and the Methodist Church.
Volunteers are also still needed to help with setup, distributing supplies, and cleanup.
In previous years, organizers have served as many as 500 children. "It's open to everybody,"Stoops said. "All we ask is that you're a Clinton County resident and bring the child with you." Those wishing to learn more, volunteer, or support the effort can visit the Clinton County School Supply Drive Facebook group or contact organizers by email at clintoncountyschoolsupplies@gmail.com.
