Students and families in Putnam County who need assistance purchasing school supplies for the upcoming school year are invited to the school system's annual Back to School Blast Friday.
Putnam County Schools' Title I program has collected 400 backpacks filled with school supplies to be given to students in need at the event.
"They need to get a successful start to the school year," said Rebecca Meadows, who oversees the Putnam County Schools Title I Program. "This is one way of ensuring they get all they need for that successful start."
Meadows said more than 20 organizations will be on-hand to give information about special programs and services offered to families in Putnam County.
The event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Putnam Career and Technical Center in Eleanor, will offer backpacks and school supplies for all grade levels. Items were donated from several area churches and community organizations.
Putnam County Schools has a 39 percent poverty rate, Meadows said. The school system's "highest" Title I poverty rate is 81 percent at Hometown Elementary School.
"There are pockets of poverty in Putnam County," Meadows said, which she believes speaks to the need for events like the Back to School Blast.
The Putnam Career and Technical Center is located at 300 Roosevelt Blvd. in Eleanor.
For more information on the Back to School Blast, visit http://www.putnamschools.com.
Reach Carlee Lammers at Carlee.Lammers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1230 or follow @CarleeLammers on Twitter.