RIO GRANDE — With summer is zipping by, two local churches are already busy with a project to ensure all children have the backpacks and supplies they need before that big yellow bus picks them up in September.
St. Barnabas by the Bay Episcopal Church, Villas, and St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Stone Harbor, will celebrate the beginning of another school year on Sun., Aug. 29, at 5 p.m. with the second annual Blessing of the Backpacks and a hot dog festival at The Branches in Rio Grande.
Last year the two churches filled more than 70 donated backpacks with supplies that were given to representatives from Cape May County Special Services Schools Ocean Academy, Lower Township’s David C. Douglass Veterans Memorial School and Carl T. Mitnick School as well as Families Matter, LLC and DYFS social workers for distribution to students.
“This project was such a success that we have already had requests for 50 backpacks this year and we anticipate needing even more,” stated Rev. Debra K. Bullock, vicar at St. Barnabas and assistant to the rector at St. Mary’s, who coordinated last year’s event.
“Opportunities such as this, which allow us to partner with the wider community, are es-sential to the mission of the church, “ said the Rev. John W. Sosnowski, rector at St. Mary’s.
Anyone in the community can donate new backpacks and/or school supplies, especially two-pocket portfolio folders; glue sticks; 24-count boxes of crayons; 10 or 12 count boxes of markers; erasers; colored pencils; and pencil sharpeners.
Items can be dropped off at St. Mary’s, 9425 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, Sunday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon; St. Barnabas, 13 W. Bates Avenue, Villas on Sundays from 8 to 11 a.m., or The Branches in the Village Shoppes at the intersection of Second Street and Ver-mont Avenue, Rio Grande, Wednesday and Saturday 10 a.m. to noon.
For information, contact Rev. Bullock (609-886-5960) or Rev. Sosnowski (609-368-5922).
