Supplies given away on Aug. 6

This Sunday after church means one thing for the volunteers for the Tools 4 School project — stuffing backpack after backpack.

Then on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. St. Paul Lutheran Church will host the annual event where students can receive free school supplies.

“The need has been increasing,” the Rev. David Ritchie, pastor at St. Paul, said. “There are so many people who can’t afford the supplies the way the economy is.”

Students from elementary to 12th grade can come that day to pick out their own book bag, each filled with grade appropriate supplies, at the church.

Ritchie is expecting 1,800 students to come to the event, that St. Paul partners with All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington. The Columbus-area church provides supplies and bags for half of the students.

Also that day Center Street will be closed between Fifth and Sixth streets for Summerfest, sponsored by the First United Methodist and First Presbyterian churches.

Volunteers started a week ago filling bags with help from Christ Episcopal Church.

“They spent at least three or four hours on Wednesday,” Ritchie said. “They will spent two to three on Sunday.”

Chairpersons for the event are Cindy Pack, Nancy Corn and Hazel Jacob.

“This is open to anybody going to school,” the pastor said. “There are some who come from Boyd, Russell and Ashland. It is mostly Lawrence County.”

The only requirement is that the student be present to select the backpack.

Monetary donations and supplies are still needed.

“It is the same old story,” Ritchie said. “You have two spouses working minimum wage jobs so they can work. But they can’t pay the bills. There is such a need.”