15th Annual ‘Tools for School’

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Thursday was backpack distribution day for the 15th annual ‘Tools for Schools’ program.

During the month of July over 450 families registered for backpacks throughout the “Tools for School” program and today hundreds of community members lined up in their vehicles at Zanesville Middle School to pick up their new bookbags.

“We have about ten young people who are our runners and some other adult volunteers and we take the card from them, write the number of that family, put it on the windshield of the car and the runner takes the card and runs inside and picks up the backpacks and then we see the numbers on the windshield and then we load them into the car,” said Ellen Shaw, Co-Chair, Eastside Community Ministries ‘Tools for School’ program.

Over one thousand backpacks were filled according to the appropriate supply list per grade and class. Shaw said she wants the families to leave knowing that their are people that care about them and are here to help.

“I want them to leave here gaining the fact that there are people that care about them and are willing to help them in their time of need,” said Shaw.

For more information contact Eastside Community Ministry at: (740)-452-7519.