The Little Lambs Foundation for Kids’ Back to School Drive is moving locations this year.
For the first time, the drive will be held at the Cache County Event Center at the Cache County Fairgrounds on Aug. 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Physical donations are currently being accepted until Aug. 10 at Anderson Seed and Garden, Leavitt Automotive, the Hyrum Library and the Little Lambs Foundation’s office. Cash donations can be given on the foundation’s website or via Venmo.
Ted Chalfant, executive director and co-founder of the Cache Valley-based nonprofit, said the ninth annual drive will supply 1,000 kids with the supplies they need to be on an equal playing field as they begin the school year.
“The most important thing is giving these kids an equal opportunity when starting school,” he said. “It is so important for these children to be prepared for school, prepared to learn, and not having to worry about if they have what they are supposed to have to start.”
The Little Lambs Foundation looks to provide basic necessities for Utah children who may not have access. The nonprofit, which began in 2014, also focuses on providing diapers and baby supplies to low-income families and comfort kits to children who are placed in foster-care, entering emergency shelters, or escaping domestic violence.
A new location for the back-to-school drive will help keep kids in an air conditioned space while expanding the accessibility of the event, Chalfant said. In recent years, he said, the amount of children in need has increased, and a more expansive location was required.
“The county is providing the space, the tables, the air-conditioned building this summer,” he said. “Which is better than years past where we’ve had children lined all the way down the street, standing in the sun. This will be amazing.”
The drive is specifically for students in the Cache County area, though some people visit from nearby counties as well, Chalfant said. The Sawin family of Cache Valley is donating all the backpacks the drive is looking to collect and disperse to kids across the valley.
Chalfant said the organization is still looking for a variety of other supplies, including paper, pencils, pens, binders, reusable water bottles and more. Students from preschool to high school are welcome to take supplies from the drive.
“If any families are needing a little help this year with inflation rates that have gone up, with gas and rent prices going up, we’re here to help,” he said.
The Little Lambs Foundation has asked a few health agencies and organizations to attend the drive to offer assistance or resources to families at the drive. Chalfant said he does not know yet how many organizations will be in attendance to help with the event.
Chalfant said the donations go directly to children around the area, whether it be through physical items collected across the county or through financial contributions.
He said events like the Little Lamb’s Back to School Drive would not be possible without Cache Valley residents pitching in and contributing to the growth of their community’s youngest residents.
“It’s a group effort with our community,” he said. “They have been amazing throughout the last nine years that we’ve done this. To be able to help those that are struggling is important for our community and I think that’s why Little Lambs is so successful, because we have the backing of our community. We cannot do what we do without them, and we are so blessed for the Cache Valley area’s support.”