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Seniors Collect School Supplies

Members Of The Senior Center Gather Supplies For Back To School

DAYTON - Fall is an exciting time of year for students and their families; new classrooms, teachers and curriculum and a long list of new school supplies. But for some families, get- ting students back to school is a challenge. The long lists of school supplies needed are never inexpensive and purchasing all of the items is especially difficult for fami- lies with multiple children returning to school.

Members of the Columbia County Senior Center know the fall is a challeng- ing and stressful time for many families, which is why they collect school supplies every year to donate to the children and families who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford everything the stu- dents need.

Senior Center member Barbara Gibson said she has been involved with collect- ing supplies for students for several years.

"It's up to the public to help students (in need)," Gib- son said.

Gibson said the biggest challenge this year is the backpacks.

Backpacks are one thing every student needs, Gibson said. But often, a backpack to hold the supplies is the most expensive item on the supply list.

Websites list backpacks starting around $20 on sale. Without sale prices, back- packs might cost as $30 to $50, which might be the only option for shoppers who are late getting to the back-toschool sales.

"Last year we found a few," Gibson said. "This year we've found even fewer."

Supply lists provided by Dayton Elementary School require expected supplies like pencils and erasers, but they also call for glue sticks, which Gibson said often sit in a student's desk and dry out by the end of the year. The lists for younger students, kindergarten through third grade, are longer with more art supplies, which are cheaper individually, but add up in the long run. By fourth grade, the students must bring a scientific calculator, which will cost about $15 to $20 new. The fourth and fifth grade supply list together totals between $70 and $75 for only one student without sales.

Gibson said everyone who can contribute already has so the group is looking to reach out to the community to help bring the supplies in.

President of the Columbia County Senior Center, Fred Gritman, has been involved with the senior center for eight years and is helping Gibson with supplies this year.

Gritman said he is familiar with the struggles of school supplies and the lists that come at the beginning of the year because he was a teacher in the Dayton School District for 30 years.

"Everyone chips in," Grit- man said. "There are a lot of kids who don't have those things."

Gibson said a portion of the money the senior center makes on lunches and from donations goes to the school supply fund. Volunteers from the senior center take money donated and go to yard sales and penny sales at local stores to pick up supplies to donate to the schools.

Gibson said finding a good deal on supplies is diffi- cult and often when the sales hit, the supplies are sold out before she can pick any up to donate.

But, Gritman and Gibson said donating the supplies is always rewarding. Recently, a group of kindergarteners made a thank you sign for the senior center members with their little handprints on it. Gibson said the sign was very sweet and they all ap- preciated it.

The senior center hosts games and lunches for local residents who want to visit. Lunches are on Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30 a.m. and cost $4 for seniors and $7 for non-seniors.