More and more families in the county need help each year in providing basic school supplies for their children. To help combat the problem, four community organizations have formed an alliance to make sure every student within their service area has the supplies they need to have a successful 2019-2020 school year.

The North Penn Community Build-A-Bag Backpack and School Supply Drive is organized by the North Penn School District (NPSD), NPSD Educational Foundation, The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Montgomery County, and The Chamber’s affiliate, the Community Youth Foundation. With the help of the community, filled backpacks will be privately and anonymously given to students by school staff at the beginning of the school year and throughout as needed. 

Now in its second year, the Build-a-Bag Drive, originally organized for students in the North Penn School District is looking to increase its impact by extending support to those in need within the Souderton School District. Last year over 300 backpacks were presented to students, while this year the need has grown to be in excess of 400 bags. 

“No donation is too small; a few boxes of crayons, erasers or pencils can make the difference in ensuring we meet our goal” indicated Pam Kelly, President/CEO, The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Montgomery County. Local businesses and organizations have volunteered to be collection sites which are located throughout the area. The list of these local partners, locations, and information regarding the Drive can be found at www.npenn.org/buildabag. 

The Build-a-Bag Drive was created following the merger of the North Penn United Way (NPUW) with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. The NPSD had previously worked with the NPUW, but decided to organize a local donation drive to fill the void. 

In addition to supplies, volunteers are also needed to help sort and stuff the bags, which will take place in mid-August at the former J.L. Freed Honda auto dealer at Cowpath Road and Broad Street in Hatfield, thanks to the generous donation of space by dealership owner, Donald Franks. Families, businesses, neighbors and organizations all welcome. 

For more information go to http://www.npenn.org