It’s that time of year again when local students are gearing up for a new school year.
That means stocking up on supplies, and the Rimbey FCSS has a special program that is aimed at helping families that need some assistance with purchasing those much-needed items for their young learners.
The Kitz for Kidz program is of course well underway, but there is still time to either sign up for a kit or to donate a variety of school supplies to the annual program, said Jamie Coston, volunteer coordinator with Rimbey FCSS.
“People can phone in and sign up to receive a kit for their kids - we take down their ages, class, grade and what school they go to,” she said. From there, kits are filled with age- and grade-appropriate items including everything from pencils, pens, paper, glue sticks, binders, highlighters, crayons, pencil crayons to scissors, lunch kits and backpacks.
“It’s also based on what is donated,” she said.
“And if we get some extra supplies, I try to disperse it to schools if they like. Then, if kids come to the school in the middle of the year or they run out of supplies, then (staff) can add to that,” she said.
FCSS staff and volunteers have been busy building the kits of late, and delivering them to local schools. But as Coston mentioned, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to either sign up for a kit or to donate. As far as donations go, they can always use more of those ‘staple’ kinds of items - rulers, glue sticks, scissors and pencils, etc.
“We will take more supplies, and we will take more kids for sure,” she said, adding that so far about 16 kits have been made for this coming school season. “We just make sure the kids have what they need to go to school.”
Typically, back to school is an exciting time for youngsters as they head out with their parents to buy a bunch of items for class. But some families need extra help this time of year.
“If you are showing up to school without things, you can already be starting off with a barrier and might be feeling pretty bad about it,” she explained. “Last year I assembled the kits and put them together, and it was eye-opening for me.”
In the meantime, Coston said the Rimbey Food Bank is also requiring some extra support currently with the back to school season upon us.
Items needed include juice boxes, pudding, fruit cups and Jello cups, raisin boxes, cheese and cracker snacks, fruit-filled bars, and really anything that is small and nutritious for a backpack.
For more information about the Kitz for Kidz program or about donating to the Rimbey Food Bank, call the Rimbey FCSS office at 403-843-2030.