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Donations Wanted for Guilford Back to School Drive

It still feels like summer, but students are heading back to school in just a matter of weeks. To make sure all Guilford students have the supplies they need on their first day back, Guilford Social Services is holding its annual Back to School Program drive to collect items for Guilford students from low-income families.

This is the 20th year of the drive and the Back to School program provides local students, grades K-12 from low income families the chance to go back to school with a chance to walk through the door on their first day with backpacks, new shoes, lunch boxes, and other needed school supplies.

Wanted donations include large backpacks, lunch bags, book covers, three- and five-subject notebooks, three-ring binders with filler paper, colored pencils, glue sticks, pink erasers, magic markers, and note cards. Residents are also welcome to drop off monetary donations or gift cards and then Social Services staff can shop for supplies they lack.

Supplies are given to students in mid-August. Guilford Social Services Director Tammy DeFrancesco said the most difficult item on the list to come by are the backpacks and that the department tries to help as many families as possible.

“Our goal is to have enough supplies for 100 children each year,” she said. “In 1998, we assisted 38 children and it steadily increased since then. There have been a couple years we provided supplies to just over 100.”

DeFrancesco said over the years, more and more local organizations have stepped up and partnered with Social Services to help support this program.

“This program started out with monies from the Salvation Army [SA] to purchase backpacks, eventually the monies from SA went to purchase shoe vouchers and Temple Beth Tikvah became our chief donor of backpacks. Over the years, we then started fundraising and grant writing for the additional supplies,” she said. “Guilford Foundation, St George Men’s Group, Walmart, Guilford Savings Bank, Guilford Police Union, and many private individuals have all been steady financial sources for this program.”

Numerous organizations and individuals in town also contribute annually to help fund the program and new businesses and groups keep popping up to help each year.

“Hair Cuttery has now started offering us coupons for haircuts to add to our list of items, which has been a great addition to our back-to-school offering,” she said.

The deadline for donations is Friday, Aug. 10, but Social Services will also accept donations on Monday, Aug. 13 if residents want to squeeze in some last-minute shopping this coming weekend.

Donations can be dropped off at 263 Church Street. For more information, contact Guilford Social Services at 203-453-8009 or scheltensd@ci.guilford.ct.us.