Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

School is fast approaching for teachers and students, and Hall Benefits Group is seeking community support to help fill students’ backpacks.

“Our Fill a Backpack Drive is a school supply fundraiser for Andalusia City Schools. We’re always looking for ways to give back to our community and with school starting back, we thought this would be a great way to do so,” said Agency Sales Manager Katie Nixon. She said the idea came to fruition one day while at home. “I was thinking about the school supply list I had to go buy for my own daughter and how much each year every parent and teacher have to supply. I had the idea to host a fundraiser to help as many people as we can. (District General Agent) Cody (Hall) was on board immediately.”

Nixon said the drive would be beneficial to children starting the school year. “It will hopefully help children not to worry about whether they have everything they need or not. When they don’t have to worry about not having the proper tools, they can focus better on their schoolwork.”

The task at hand for the public is simple. “They can contribute by filling a backpack with the common supplies that every age kid needs. We provided a list to make sure each backpack has the same amount. If you would rather, you can contribute any amount of the teacher supplies we listed, too. We do accept cash donations and will make backpacks with the cash donations we receive,” she said.

Those choosing to fill a backpack may include the following supplies: 1 3-ring binder with a clear front pocket, 1 single subject notebook with wide-ruled paper, 24-pack of crayons, washable markers, round-tip scissors, 2-pocket folder, pack of #2 pencils, pack of colored pencils, pencil pouch, ruler, a 3-pack of erasers, pencil sharpener, and a 2-pack of glue sticks.

Nixon said the most needed items are cleaning supplies. “We need hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, and all-purpose cleaner with no bleach to help minimize exposure to bacteria.” Other essential individual supplies include boxes of Kleenex, paper towels, gallon and quart Ziploc bags, black/blue/red ink pens, dry erase markers, white copy paper, and highlighters.

Individuals may drop off backpacks from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday, August 2 until Friday, August 6. For more information or to ask questions, contact Katie Nixon at 334-471-0164 or visit Hall Benefits Group at 218 Church Street in Andalusia.