As soon as the doors opened, the aroma of butter and popcorn drew children and their guardians through the vestibule and into the parish hall of Newnan First United Methodist Church on Thursday.
Once in the hall, they were directed to the opposite corner of the hall to pick up a backpack from a mounded display.
From there, they could make their way down the aisles of dozens of tables laden with school supplies to fill their backpack for the current school semester.
Repack the Backpack returned for its fourth school year, its first since the pandemic, at the Newnan First United Methodist Church.
The event is organized by Coweta Family Connection to make sure children have what they need to be successful during the second half of the school year, said Karen Stacy, coordinator of Coweta Family Connection.
As a former teacher, Stacy said she knows there is a need for the event.
“My students, a few would come back with brand new school supplies that they got for Christmas, you know, spending their Christmas money,” she said. “But there were always a few who didn’t have anything. They had their broken crayons. They didn’t have new pencils. Their folder was ripped and falling apart.”
Larry Tucker, of Goodwill, one of the volunteers at the event said that there are lots of events in August to prepare students for school, but midyear, just as those supplies start running low, there was no event to replenish the supplies. So, the Coweta Family Connection collaborative started Repack the Backpack.
“Get the kids out, get some free school supplies and have an awesome resource fair to show off all of the organizations that are in town to help people,” Tucker said.
The event partners with local organizations giving them a chance to reach out to the community and possibly to people who need their services, Stacy said.
Debora Johnson, executive director of the West Georgia Domestic Violence Shelter, said the event is a chance for them to discreetly reach those in need of their services who might not otherwise know about them.
“At least they would know that we’re available and that we’re around to provide these services,” Johnson said.
The shelter is based in Carroll County, but has had a satellite office in Coweta County since 2017, she said. Still, the organization is not well known in the community.
Among the organizations that attended, members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion Auxiliaries manned a table together giving away index cards, rulers and other supplies. A representative of Coweta County Library System was handing out highlighters and folders. But probably the busiest table was Pathways Center, where people were handing out hand sanitizer and freshly popped popcorn along with information about the organization’s services.
“We provide mental health care services,” said Brittany Post, one of the volunteers at the Pathways table. “We wanted to make sure that individuals in the community are getting the resources and have access to the things they need.”
Repack the Backpack is one way to let people in the community know that Pathways is there for them, Post said.
Community Action For Improvement had filled its table with books, notebooks, “anything that (students) need,” said Chrissy Burrell, who was manning the table.
“My favorite is the books,” Burrell said with a smile, adding, “It takes a community to make the community work. So you have to come together.”
Quinecia Smith, who was working at the table with Burrell, agreed.
“We’re always trying to promote literacy and cognitive development,” Smith said.
Amanda Newton, who was working at a table for Elevate Coweta Students, said the group was represented because it’s very concerned with the success of all students.
“School supplies are essential,” Newton said. “In order to learn, you need colored pencils. You need pencils. It’s pretty much essential to repack their backpack so that they have the supplies that they need to continue their education.”
Angelique Reese, 10, peruses the items at the table set up by the Coweta Public Library Systems at the Repack the Backpack event on Thursday.
Jaxon Styles, 9, and Christian Smith, 6, select school supplies for their backpacks as Amanda Newton, of Elevate Coweta Students, looks on.
Abigail Alvarez of Pathways fills bags with freshly popped popcorn for the Repack the Backpack event on Thursday.
Behind Julie Perkins, a First United Methodist Church member who provided music for Repack the Backpack, backpacks are waiting to be claimed by the students who might need them.
Marelie Munoz, 9, and William Munoz, 13, choose items to round out their school supply lists at the Repack the Backpack event on Thursday.
Luciana Tucker, 5, Elijah Tucker, 7, and their mother, Lety Tucker, chat with Brittany Post at the Pathways Center table at Repack the Backpack on Thursday.
