The Salvation Army in Cortez is preparing for what could be its biggest annual Backpack and School Supply Giveaway with the goal of equipping children in need with confidence as they head back to school.
The Salvation Army is asking for members of the community to support the giveaway through volunteering and donating.
This free event is open to all students from pre-K to high school seniors who live and go to school in Montezuma and Dolores counties. Students who preregister for a backpack July 1 will receive a backpack packed with grade-appropriate supplies for the upcoming school year. Preregistering doesn’t guarantee an Osprey backpack, it does guarantee a backpack with supplies.
Preregistration is encouraged, as walk-ins will only receive a backpack on a first come, first served basis. Students will receive their bags at the Backpack & School Supply Giveaway event Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Evangel Assembly of God, 209 W. Fifth Street in Cortez.
Preregistration can be completed online at bit.ly/MOCOBackpack.
Volunteers are needed for Red Kettle donations and “Stuff the Bus” donations July 10-11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Walmart in Cortez.
Items needed include small backpacks for preschoolers, washable markers (8-count), crayons, watercolor paints, scissors, glue sticks, Elmer’s glue, colored pencils, No. 2 pencils, ballpoint pens, highlighters, Expo markers, notebook paper (wide- and college-ruled), spiral notebooks, marble composition books and folders with brads and pockets. These items can be dropped off to volunteers at Walmart.
“You heard it quoted, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ but I think for our community, ‘It takes an Osprey backpack full of tools to raise a child,’” Art Tidwell, service center director, told The Journal before a past backpack event.
Online financial donations can also be made at bit.ly/4uAXhhP, which was created with assistance from Squirrel Congress and Onward! A Legacy Foundation.
Volunteers are also needed July 28 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Evangel Assembly of God to stuff the backpacks. It is estimated that 1,000 backpacks will need to be stuffed. Volunteers who serve Aug. 1 will help hand out backpacks to students.
Those interested in volunteering should contact Tidwell at [email protected]. More information and event updates will be found on The Salvation Army Cortez’s Facebook page.
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