The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is partnering with Omega Ministries to give away 500 free backpacks filled with school supplies to K-12 students in the Memphis community on Saturday, August 7.
The drive-through event will be held on the UTHSC campus from 8 a.m. to noon at the Van Vleet Building, 3 N. Dunlap. Attendees should enter the driveway off of Dunlap. Backpack distribution is limited to one per child, with a limit of four children per car.
“UTHSC is excited to join our long-time health fair partner, Omega Ministries, in providing school supplies to children in our community,” said Peg Thorman Hartig, PhD, APRN-BC, FAANP, a professor in the UTHSC College of Nursing who has volunteered with Omega Ministries for more than 20 years. “We usually are able to look forward to our annual health fair to provide both school supplies and health screenings but we are adapting to the current times due to the ongoing pandemic. However, we recognize many children are in need of school supplies to encourage starting what we hope is a successful school year.”
UTHSC is collecting school supply donations on campus through Monday, August 2. Anyone interested in donating can drop off supplies at the UTHSC Madison Plaza security desk, located at 910 Madison Avenue, during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, Monday-Friday.
Requested donations include:
- #2 pencils, 12-pack
- colored pencils, 12-pack
- washable markers, 10-count
- crayons, 24-count
- glue sticks
- scissors
- notebook paper
- composition notebooks
- pocket folders
- highlighters, 4-pack
- pens, 10-pack
- rulers
Monetary donations are also accepted. To give, please contact Sally Badoud at sbadoud@uthsc.edu.