Back-to-school supplies needed for 300 children

The Friendly Hands Food Bank has started its school material collection drive for children in need of supplies.

The Friendly Hands Food Bank has started its school material collection drive for children in need of supplies.

Executive Director Marueen Hubert said the donation drive started July 15. Some of the back to school items the food bank is requesting included three and five- subject spiral notebooks, backpacks, calculators, lunch boxes, markers and pens. The items are gathered and placed in backpacks, which are then dispersed to the more than 300 children whose families receive food from Friendly Hands. Hubert said the food bank helps about 300 to 400 families in Litchfield County. It is one of three food banks available in Torrington.

“We have done it every year since we opened in 1991, because we feel like if our clients are having trouble getting food, getting their kids set up for back to school is virtually impossible,” Hubert said.

Donations will be accepted through Aug. 16, and can be dropped off at the food shelter, 50 King St.

“We need backpacks, that’s the most important thing,” she said.

Hubert said she’s looking for material for children from kindergarten through college. She said school supplies cost between $50 to $55 per student through middle school, while students in high school and college usually cost around $100.

The materials will be distributed starting on Aug. 16 through Aug. 27 by appointment only. Donations can be brought to food bank Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The first day of school for Torrington Public Schools is Aug. 28, according to their website.