Heritage

No need for the kids at Heritage Elementary in Homer to go buy pencils, crayons and markers. The nice folks at Homer New Life Church of Faith have them covered.

For the third year in a row, the church provided school supplies to the kindergarten through fifth-grade students. That’s about 160, with the packages delivered Monday. Classes started Wednesday.

“We put a bag of supplies on each kid’s desk,” said Brad Wilson, the church’s youth director. “We try to take a lot of that financial burden away from the families.”

The church’s congregation provides the funds to pay for the supplies.

The packages vary depending on the grade. The school provides a class list of what is needed.

The families appreciate the help.

“Everybody I’ve talked to seemed really grateful. We got some good messages and thank-yous on our Facebook page,” Wilson said. “I think it is a really good thing to do for the community.”

The church’s youth group put the bags together. Wilson’s wife, Lisa, played a key role. And the church’s men’s group dropped off the bags at the school.

Wilson said the church plans to continue providing school supplies into the future.

The help goes back about a decade, when Charlie and Sharon Walters started a school-supply giveaway after the church’s Bible school. The Walters are members of the church.