School starts August 19 in Santa Rosa County.
Whew. We hear the collective sigh of relief from parents all over the area. No more sleeping in, no more eating cereal lazily in front of cartoons or Matlock or daytime court television. The day is almost here to begin turning daytime back into daytime and nighttime into sleep time.
School supplies, shoes, clothing, backpacks, lunch boxes…they are being sold just about everywhere. If you happen to be out and want to donate, grab some stuff and drop by the United Way located between McDonald's and Wendy's, drop it off.
If you would like to volunteer, they are stuffing backpacks this week and would appreciate the help.
There are several schools in this County with a high poverty rate for their students. This is often measured by how many students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
There are a lot of students starting school without new shoes or clothes; when cold weather comes, they will need jackets. We know that East Milton and Rhodes Elementary fall into the categories of high enrollment on free or reduced lunch. As time passes, or even today, if you want to help one of these schools, contact them and let them know. If you have difficulty getting to the school during normal hours, you can drop your items by the Press Gazette and one of our editorial staff will take your donations to the school of your choice. This remains true for the rest of the year. Bring your new donated items to our office located at 6629 Elva St., right next to Regions Bank on Hwy. 90 in Milton. We'll be glad to accept those items and deliver them if you can't do it.
After all, the children are our future too.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: The children are our future