Pawling Resource Center’s Annual School Supply Drive….Backpacks and Pencils and Notebooks…Oh My!!
By Susan Stone
For three weeks in late July and early August, The Pawling Resource Center held its annual School Supply Drive, collecting backpacks (and the school supplies to fill them) for needy students in grades 1-8 in Pawling. Once again, the community came together to donate these much needed items so that each student can begin the school year with everything that is needed for academic success.
This year, the PRC began a Go-Fund-Me campaign in order to raise dollars which would help purchase supplies that were not otherwise donated. Although the stated goal of $2,200.00 was not reached, the almost $1,000.00 in donations will help to purchase everything that is still needed. The 2017 drive officially ended on August 5th. Items donated to the PRC included 60 backpacks provided by PRC Board members and Pawling Rotary, as well as several cases of supplies donated by the Methodist Church in Pawling Village. Additionally, community members generously brought in items that will be placed into the packs in the coming days.
In keeping with their mission of aiding Pawling’s youngsters, Pawling Rotary not only donated a substantial number of back packs to this drive, but spent a considerable amount of time at their August 8th meeting at the Lathrop Building in Lakeside Park stuffing supplies into packs. The goal, of course is to distribute the packs over the next few weeks in order for children to be fully prepared for that first day of school on September 5th. Terry Ariano, Executive Director at the Resource Center commented, “This program helps so many local families who cannot afford costly school supplies. This year we will pack 60 grade-specific packs which will be distributed to those families that request them. We are so grateful to the many people and organizations that either donated funds to the Go-Fund-Me campaign, or purchased and delivered specific necessary school items. It a very generous community we live in!”
