By Sarah Nagem
snagem@salisburypost.com
As students get ready to start a new school year, they will need notebooks, pencils and other supplies.
Residents can help by donating school supplies at several drop-off locations. Communities in Schools of Rowan County will distribute the supplies to students next month.
A program called Pencils for Pupils will collect supplies at the following locations through August:
– Eight F&M Bank sites throughout Rowan County.
– Salisbury Motor Co., 700 W. Innes St., Salisbury.
– Salisbury Post, 131 W. Innes St., Salisbury.
Another program, School Tools, will collect supplies at local Food Lion stores in August. Food Lion and the Charlotte television station WSOC sponsor that program. The Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation and Trinity Oaks Lutheran retirement center in Salisbury also will collect supplies for the School Tools program, Vicky Slusser, executive director of Communities in Schools of Rowan County, said.
Slusser said anyone who brings school supplies to the Aug. 9 Kannapolis Intimidators game will get free admission.
And residents can leave supplies at their mail boxes Aug. 23 for postal carriers to pick up, Slusser said. Collected items will go to Communities in Schools, an agency supported by the United Way.
Students can pick up school supplies and free books, gathered from drop-off sites by Communities in Schools, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Aug. 23, a Saturday, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 200 W. Innes St., Salisbury.
Students must be present to pick up supplies and books. Parents can’t pick up items for their children.
Slusser said appropriate items include pencils, pens, notebooks, erasers, three-ring binders, glue, crayons, composition books, hand sanitizer, tissues and backpacks.
“What we’re hoping people will do is take advantage of the tax-free weekend,” she said.