Supplies for new year given away by Lima schools

LIMA — Hundreds of parents and children stood in line at Martin Luther King Park on Thursday for their turn to pick out a new bookbag for the first day of school.

Children filled the bookbags with crayons, notebooks, pencils and other supplies they’ll need for the coming school year, all provided free of charge through the Lima schools’ back-to-school celebration.

Businesses and service clubs donate supplies to Lima schools each year to alleviate the financial burden families face as they prepare for a new school year. Supplies are given to any child, regardless of which school they attend.

Lima schools Superintendent Jill Ackerman said an average of 800 meals are distributed through the event in a typical year. Thursday appeared to be no exception, as a line of families wrapped around Martin Luther King Park, past the baseball diamond and into the parking lot.

“This is indicative of the need,” Ackerman said.

Parents discarded gently used uniforms, which will be washed and regifted to students in need when school resumes next week, in a bin at the front of the line.

They then moved through an assembly line of donated bookbags and supplies, including socks and hygiene products donated by United Auto Workers Local 1765.

Lima Senior High School cheerleaders led the crowd through cheers, while athletes played games with children as they waited for their turn to reach the front of the line.

Representatives from community groups such as Health Partners of Western Ohio and the Salvation Army spoke to passersby, sharing information about their resources for families in need.

Parents could grab dinner grilled by the Lima Police Department when they reached the end of the line.

The only cost of admission: Each adult must be accompanied by a child to take home dinner or supplies.

The event is attended by families from as far away as Ada, Bluffton, Elida and Wapakoneta, Ackerman said, adding: “We want to serve the whole community,” regardless of where they attend school.

Families who missed Thursday’s event or who need additional clothes for their children will have another chance to gather back-to-school necessities Saturday.

The South Lima Community Development Corporation will give away food, uniforms and winter clothes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at Philippian Church, 190 E. 8th St., Lima.