For the past decade, a dedicated team of community members, led by state Rep. Mike Sturla, has spent months planning an event in Lancaster City to ensure that students are returning to school ready to succeed. Countless hours go toward collecting donations, sorting materials, stuffing backpacks and recruiting thousands of students to attend.
Although life in COVID-19 times still seems very different for most families, we are hoping that holding this event will give some normalcy to students who have participated for years. Our mission is to make sure that all children in Lancaster city have the supplies that they need to succeed in school. It is our hope that this will help to alleviate some of the anxiety some students and families have about returning to school.
The 10th annual Back to School Giveaway is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 14 and 15, at Clipper Magazine Stadium, 650 N. Prince St.
Preregistration is required, and participants will choose their designated day and time slot upon registration.
During the event, School District of Lancaster students in kindergarten through eighth grade will receive a free backpack, uniform, shoes, masks and more. New for this year will be the inclusion of books sorted by grade level.
Extra care is being taken to ensure that all attendees are able to maintain social distancing while collecting their items.
Families who would like to register for this event can do so at pahouse.com/sturla/backtoschool and are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.
There are several ways that volunteers can help with the Back to School Giveaway.
There will be teams working on stuffing backpacks the week of Aug. 9 to make sure that each family can collect their supplies in a safe and timely manner. In addition to backpack stuffing, volunteers will be needed on the days of the event to assist in setup, distribution and cleanup at Clipper Stadium.
Other volunteer opportunities also may become available as the event gets closer.
If you are interested in volunteering, please use the registration link in the Get Connected Volunteer Portal at www.UWLanc.Org/Volunteer.
For those looking to help, but are not able to volunteer, there are also donation and sponsorship opportunities available! We hope that you will join us in celebrating a decade of supporting students in the School District of Lancaster.
