By Azana Carr

Correspondent

As the school year draws closer, the Salvation Army’s Women’s Ministry Group is holding its annual back to school drive.

From now until Aug. 20, parents in need can fill a backpack of school supplies for each returning student from grades pre-K to 12.

Esha Chaulk, a member of the Women’s Ministry Group, has lent a hand in previous school supply drives and this year, for the first time, is taking complete charge of its operation.

She remembers that the school drive initially, like all plans, started as just an idea.

“At first we were just talking about how many people we would be able to reach,” Chaulk said, “but the more we got together about it, the more we got excited about an actual program.”

Different classrooms require different materials, so the Women’s Ministry Group acquired a vast selection of items to satisfy the needs of students. Some of the supplies include crayons, books, paper, and calculators, “just to name a few,” Chaulk said.

The organization hopes to provide aid to 160 children, as it did last year, but it’s always striving for a higher goal. Donations from the community contribute to the flow of supplies and ensure each student receives enough supplies.

Although the Women’s Ministry has stayed strong every year to give back to the children in Suffolk, the amount of supplies is not always consistent.

“I’ve been here eight years, and it honestly varies year by year,” said Keana Johnson, the activities coordinator for Suffolk’s Salvation Army. “Sometimes the numbers go up and sometimes they go down. You don’t know until the program actually starts how well it’ll turn out.”

Much of the drive’s success weighs heavily on the amount of one particular item — backpacks. The operation tries to split the number of backpacks they have among all 12 grades, especially since such a large number of parents come for children in lower grades.

School supplies don’t seem like such a fuss to many children, given the ability to buy them every year. Others, however, are not as fortunate, Johnson said.

“When I was in school, it wasn’t about the new clothes or shoes, it was the new school supplies you had for the year,” Johnson said.

Donations can be dropped off at the Salvation Army, 400 Bank St., Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call Chaulk at 639-1384.