The BOCES Title I staff, pictured Mrs. Roberta Stillin-Dowman, Ms. Cindy Barry, District Superintendent Thomas Burns, and Mrs. Bonnie Churco, would like to thank the Stewarts Foundation for their help in providing for the needs of our students.

CANTON -- The Stewart’s Foundation recently donated $1,800 in gift cards to the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES Title I program to help provide supplies to over 700 students who have been identified as homeless.

The St. Lawrence- Lewis BOCES was awarded a three-year grant by the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) to assist the 18 school districts’ students living in temporary housing or who are homeless, BOCES representatives said.

St. Lawrence County is one of the poorest rural counties with high unemployment rates over 17 percent, according to BOCES officials.

To date, over 50 percent of the students attending school in St. Lawrence County receive free or reduced lunch.

The donation will help provide school supplies, snacks, book bags and more to those students who have been identified as in need, reps said.

The grant is funded under the NYSED, through the McKinney Vento Homeless Education Consortium that are administered and served directly by SLLBOCES.