Love INC making back to school affordable

The 10th annual Love In the Name of Christ Back to School Bash on Aug. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Love Center Food Pantry meeting room near Millersburg means the organization can both serve students and families in Holmes County through the outreach ministry and make going back to school more affordable by providing necessary school supplies at a fraction of the cost.

“It’s hard to believe this is already our 10th year,” said Vicki Conn, Love INC executive director. “This program has been a huge success. Students get to pick out the items they need for their class and choose the styles and colors they like. It’s fun to see their excitement, and this is making going back to school more affordable.”

While the cost of purchasing school supplies may not make a big dent in some family budgets, other households will feel the crunch of forking out $50 or more to purchase school supplies. Conn said that can get exponentially worse for larger families.

“You take that cost of around $50 to purchase everything a child needs for school and multiply it by three or four children in a home, and all of a sudden, you’ve got a much bigger cost these families are facing,” Conn said.

All students in the Holmes County school districts are invited to come and shop at the event, where they can find pretty much any items needed for the new school year.

“We will have school lists available for students in Holmes County, so we hope families will take advantage of this opportunity to come and shop and save some significant money in preparing for school,” Conn said. “Parents can bring their children and let them pick out their backpack and shop for the rest of their supplies, all for a donation of $5 per student.”

Conn said the event is cash only, and they have created a new setup, hoping to shorten the wait time for families who come to shop.

All the school items will be available for a child to add to their list of school supplies, from book bags to everything else one might find in a desk, whether it’s pre-K or a senior in high school.

Love INC has worked with local schools to gain insight into the various items needed at each grade level.

“A student can come in and say they are in a certain teacher’s class in a specific school, and we will have an exact list of items needed for that particular classroom,” Conn said.

In addition to the school supplies, there will be new socks and underwear available for a donation of $1 per pack of five socks and $1 per pack of five underwear per student.

Other items available at no charge will include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, first-aid kits and other miscellaneous items, helping to ensure students have everything necessary to hit the ground running when the school bell rings on the first day.

Students also can visit Millersburg Christian Church’s Clothing Closet and Faith Bible Church’s Shoe Ministry the same day to find new or gently used items, and there will be other organizations represented, like Christ’s Cupboard, Frog Pond, H15 Teen Center Ministries, Caring Therapy Canines, Pomerene Hospital and more. Holmes Fire District #1 and Millersburg Police Department also will host a Touch-A-Truck.

The Love INC/Love Center Food Pantry building is located at 1291 Massillon Road, just north of Millersburg.