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United Church Of Rowayton Collects Backpacks For Needy Students

NORWALK, Conn. -- Children will start the school year with new backpacks filled with school must-haves thanks to the backpack drive conducted annually by the United Church of Rowayton for the Department of Children and Families.

The United Church of Rowayton will be collecting backpack filled with useful items for needy students.

The United Church of Rowayton will be collecting backpack filled with useful items for needy students.

Photo Credit: File

From now until Aug. 15, the meeting house behind the church at 210 Rowayton Ave. will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to receive backpacks.

Suggested items for donation include tissues, black and colored pencils, pens, crayons, geometric stencils, compasses, erasers, rulers, tape, file folders, glue sticks, scissors, notebooks, paper, pencil sharpeners, White Out, staplers, staples and calculators. Only a few of the items need to be included.

The loaded backpacks will be delivered to the DCF for distribution directly to needy students from kindergarten to high school.

“We have a list of needy students and deliver the backpacks directly to children in their homes," said Wisenite Laurent of the DCF.

“The students are so surprised and happy to be given the backpacks,” said Laurent. “The parents are happy, too, because school supplies are increasingly expensive.”

This is the fourth year of the backpack drive, organized by the church’s Board of Christian Outreach.

“This is a very successful program,” said BOCO Chairman Bill Peltz. “In 2015, 69 backpacks were contributed. In 2016, we gave 120 backpacks. We hope to make 2017 even better. The program is a great way for the students to start the new school year.”

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