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Needy St. Lawrence County children receive 300 free backpacks, school supplies; Canton offers even more to some students

Posted 9/11/16

By CRAIG FREILICH Hundreds of needy students in St. Lawrence County receive free school supplies from nearby neighborhood centers each year, but this year they also received new backpacks filled with …

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Needy St. Lawrence County children receive 300 free backpacks, school supplies; Canton offers even more to some students

Posted

By CRAIG FREILICH

Hundreds of needy students in St. Lawrence County receive free school supplies from nearby neighborhood centers each year, but this year they also received new backpacks filled with personal care items.

A special one-time state Community Service Block Grant of $24,500 shared by the county’s neighborhood centers has funded the initiative to help 300 students be better prepared for school.

The neighborhood centers, which serve Potsdam, Canton, Massena, Ogdensburg, Colton, Parishville, Pierrepont and Gouverneur, bought “items they use in the household that can’t be purchased with SNAP cards,” said Norma Carey, director of the St. Lawrence County Community Development Program (CDP).

That’s in addition to the usual assortment of school supplies handed out each year by the neighborhood centers.

“It’s a short turnaround time, but it has to be distributed and spent by the end of September,” Carey said of the grant funded by the state Department of State.

Meanwhile, some disadvantaged Canton-area students are getting even more, thanks to the Canton Church and Community Program’s annual back-to-school project that “goes back at least 15 years,” said Pat Sibbitts, coordinator of the program for the last four years.

Volunteers gather specific school supply lists from teachers. “We find out who the teacher is. We get a copy of the teacher’s supply list, including all those things people don’t think of when they think of standard school supplies – things like disinfectant wipes, tissues, earbuds for computers,” said Sibbitts.

In recent years they have expanded the program to include older students who have several teachers in different classrooms. Those students receive a “pre-pack” of binders, paper, pens, pencils and other standard items.

“Students’ school supplies can be very costly. Gone are the days when they needed just a few things for school,” she said.

The annual distribution generally takes place on a Sunday before school starts. This year, 155 school students from 70 local families went to the Canton United Methodist Church to pick up school supplies.

“We also give free haircuts. Five hairdressers donate their time. It’s probably my favorite part of the project. There’s nothing like a fresh haircut to start the school year,” Sibbitts said.

In addition, local dentists donate toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. They send young sizes and adult sizes.

“One child said, ‘Good. I don’t have to share anymore,’” Sibbitts said.

In a partnership with the Canton Neighborhood Center, kids get new backpacks with money collected by the Salvation Army’s Christmastime kettle donations at the Canton Price Chopper, Sibbitts said.

Donations of money and supplies come from many businesses and individuals.

“It’s a community thing: the hairdressers, the dentists, the Salvation Army, local businesses and organizations,” she said.

The project benefits kids and their families in the CCCP’s service area in the Canton, Edwards-Knox and Hermon-DeKalb school districts – “the same area as the food pantry covers,” Sibbitts said.

Eligibility for the Canton program, as it is at the Neighborhood Centers, is determined by household income information the families provide on application forms.

“If they already get food stamps or are registered with the food pantry, they’re good to go,” Sibbitts said.

The Canton Church and Community Program is sponsored by a consortium of Canton Churches: Grace Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Unitarian Universalist Church, and the United Methodist Church.

For more information on the school supply program, contact Sibbitts at psibbitts@gmail.com, or visit www.ccpcanton.org and click on "Support Us." The CCCP office is at 7 Main S., phone 386-3534

The Neighborhood Centers in the county are in:

• Canton, 5 West St., 315-386-3541

• Ogdensburg, City Hall, 320 Ford St., 315-393-5561

• Gouverneur, 15 Rock Island St., 315-287-3370

• Potsdam, Civic Center, Park St., 315-265-3920

• Massena, 61 Beach St., 315-764-0050

• Colton/Parishville/Pierrepont, 315-244-0069, call for hours and locations.