With summer vacation winding down for lots of students in East Tennessee, many parents begin the annual quest to outfit children in new clothes and stock up with back-to-school supplies.
A local charity hopes you will also do some back-to-school shopping for those in need.
The Mission of Hope wraps up its annual school supplies drive this week. The charity will collect donations through this Sunday and then deliver the supplies to schools in early August.
The Mission of Hope delivers the supplies to children in some of the poorest rural areas throughout southern Appalachia. This year the charity plans to provide supplies to more than 10,500 students.
"Looking back when we started school, I know personally myself how important it was to begin the new year with brand new things," said Emmette Thompson, executive director of the Mission of Hope. "It makes a difference. It's important that all children get equal footing to start the school year."
Thompson said many of the counties that receive supplies have more than 90 percent of the student body on assisted lunch programs.
The charity is asking for donations of:
- Sturdy Backpacks
- Pencils
- Crayons
- Colored Pencils
- Safety Scissors
- Glue Sticks
- Folders
- Notebook Paper
A pre-packaged school kit is available at many Food City stores for $10. The Mission of Hope school supplies drive also depends heavily on money donations.
"We buy a lot of the supplies ourselves with money we raise through events like golf tournaments," said Thompson.
More information on the school supplies drive and ways to donate to the charity can be found at the Mission of Hope website.