Branches to Host Backpack Blessing

RIO GRANDE — The Branches Episcopal Outreach Center in Rio Grande will celebrate the second annual Blessing of the Backpacks Sunday, Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. followed by a hot dog festival.
Students of all ages (preschool through adult) are invited to bring their backpacks to The Branches for a special dedication to mark the beginning of a new school year.
Parents, teachers, aides, principals, administrators, school nurses, counselors, secretaries, cooks, librarians, janitors and bus drivers are all invited to join in the event which will include a special blessing, affirming each in his or her vocation.
Following the blessing, hot dogs, chips, and beverages will be served. There is no charge for this event and everyone is welcome to attend.
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Stone Harbor and St. Barnabas by the Bay Episcopal Church in Villas have been collecting school supplies and backpacks for area children. More than 50 backpacks filled with supplies will be dedicated.
Representatives from Ocean Academy in Middle Township, and the David C. Douglass Veterans Memorial School, Maud Abrams School and Carl T. Mitnick School in Lower Township will be on hand to receive the filled backpacks which will go to students they have identified.
The Branches, located in the Village Shoppes in Rio Grande (at the intersection of North Second Street and Vermont Ave.), is a ministry of the Episcopal churches of St. Mary and St. Barnabas.
For more information or to make a donation for the event, contact the Rev. Debra Bullock, vicar at St. Barnabas by the Bay Episcopal Church, 886-5960 or the Rev. John Sosnowski, rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 368-5922.