The Congregational Church of Easton is holding a back to school supply drive to support local families and help meet the financial demands of back to school shopping.
The school supply drive brings the church’s usual charity outreach closer to home, said Genevieve Waterbury, the church’s director.
“In the past we’ve done this with different charities, but given how times are tougher now, I decided to look into if there was a need in the Easton schools,” said Waterbury. “I spoke to people from the school board to the PTO and the principals at Samuel Staples and Helen Keller. They all said there was absolutely a need in town, so I decided to keep it a little more home-grown.”
The response to the initiative wasn’t without pushback.
“I was surprised when I suggested the drive and received some pushback about whether there was really a need in town,” said Waterbury. “So I did my due diligence, and what I found was there was a need based on the amount of requests for field trip assistance and people who are qualifying for free and low-cost lunches.”
The drive has seen a modest turnout so far, but interest is growing as more residents learn about the drive. The supply list, which includes essential items like pencils and erasers, is available on the Congregational Church of Easton’s Facebook page.
“I tried to make the supply list brief,” said Waterbury. “The schools were really nice, and they gave me a list of what’s required, but I didn’t want to overwhelm people.”
Donations can be dropped off at two locations: the Congregational Church of Easton itself and the Easton Arts Center. The drop-off location for the church is at the Old Academy Building, 336 Westport Road on the left side. There is a circular drive. Pull in and by the entrance there is a large bin to the right. Also, if the building is open, another drop off is right inside, straight ahead to the wall.
The Easton Arts Center, located at the Easton Park and Recreation, 652 Morehouse Road, created a special drop-off space for donations. Waterbury is also open to receiving donations from those who know her, at her home address.
The initiative has been welcomed by local school officials, including Samuel Staples Elementary School Principal Kimberly Fox Santora.
“Easton does have families that suffer financial hardships from time to time,” said Santora. “While I encourage the Samuel Staples Elementary School community to contact me if they need scholarships for field trips, school t-shirts, or purchasing a fifth grade yearbook, it is not uncommon for families to struggle with making such a request.”
Santora is grateful for the Congregational Church of Easton’s efforts.
“They contacted me to ask if securing school supplies might be a help for some Samuel Staples Elementary School families, and I eagerly accepted their kind offer,” said Santora. “School supplies are costly and can run anywhere between fifty to eighty dollars.”
The school supply drive will continue with the last day for drop offs and donations being Aug. 23.
Waterbury is confident Easton residents will donate to the drive because she’s seen neighbors step up to help their neighbors in need.
“That’s the feeling I’m going for,” she said.
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