Scotland County Schools will open on Monday, Aug. 26, and local organizations are preparing to help students go back prepared.
On Saturday the Scotland County NAACP will be hosting it’s 19th annual “Back to School, Stay In School” event. The event will be held in the new gym at Scotland High School from 10 a.m. to noon.
This is in effort to make sure students are prepared for classes from the first day of school, the NAACP hopes to serve students by supplying backpacks, as well as other items such as notebooks, pencils, folders, paper, and erasers.
The school supplies, along with free food, will be available while supplies last. It is open to students grades K-12 but the student must be present in order to receive supplies.
“This is open to all children in Scotland County,” said the Rev. Garland Pierce, who began the giveaway in 2000. “We’re going to have entertainment to help get the children fired up to go back to school and giving away school supplies.”
Pierce said that, in the past few years, there have been around 800 students who have been able to get supplies — but this year the NAACP is preparing for around 1,000.
When he was NAACP president, Pierce began the first event and held it at Bright Hopewell Baptist Church, allowing around 300 students to get supplies. Soon the location was outgrown and moved to I. Ellis Johnson Elementary before outgrowing that location. It has finally been moved to its current location of Scotland High School.
“It’s really grown and become something for the students,” Pierce said. “It lets the children know the community is standing behind them and wanting them to succeed. It allows for every student to start on a level playing field with the supplies they need for a successful school year … if we run out of supplies before all the children get supplies we will make it up to them so that no child is left feeling like they are forgotten.”
Pierce added that the event couldn’t get to where it is today without the partnership between the school system, the Masonic Lodge for cooking hot dogs at the event and the volunteers who help prepare and give out the supplies.
Lauel Hill giveaway
Following the NAACP is the second annual “Back 2 School Giveaway” hosted by Scotland County Parks and Recreation. The event will be at the Laurel Hill Community Center on Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We’ll be doing it as supplies last and it’s first come, first serve,” said Jeff Maley, recreation coordinator for Parks and Recreation. “We’ll be out there until we don’t have any supplies, so we might not be out there the whole time.”
Maley added that there will not be any backpacks given away, with the giveaway focusing on other school supply items.
“We’re taking the school supply lists and we’ll be grabbing things for pre-k to high school,” Maley said. “But we are requesting that the child be there for the giveaway.”
Besides school supplies there will also be free hot dogs being served, also while supplies last.
“We know there are a lot of other back to school giveaways in the county,” Maley said. “But this is our way of trying to do our part to help the community.”
Reach Katelin Gandee at 910-506-3171 or at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com
