Sumter ministry needs school supplies; annual Gear Up for Learning collection starts to help students

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Sumter United Ministries is collecting items for its annual school supplies drive, Gear Up for Learning.

SUM Executive Director Mark Champagne said Gear Up has been going for more than 20 years in the community and that he hopes everyone takes part for children in need this school year.

"We collect from throughout the community, and we give the supplies directly to the school district so every school in the district will get supplies from us," he said. "It goes to the guidance counselors because they know the kids that need them."

The supplies are directly delivered to the counselors rather than handed out to any child in the community to meet the needs of those unable to get the essential supplies they need for the school year.

"We just do things maybe a little differently," Champagne said. "The teachers are going to see it because they're going to be working with the children, and while they're there they're going to see a kid doesn't have a pencil or a notebook or something they need."

Champagne is worried when it comes to this year's drive due to inflation making basic items more expensive.

"We need supplies for kids. I think inflation is going to cause a greater need for kids. It's also going to create hardship for people to donate," he said.

He encouraged all Sumter residents to take advantage of tax-free weekend, which starts tomorrow, and collect school supplies for the drive.

SUM will be staged at the First Baptist Church Gym, 107 E. Liberty St., Monday-Wednesday to organize supplies. Sumter School District will collect the donations from the church on Thursday, Champagne said.

For now, Sumterites are welcome to donate to Gear-Up for Learning at two locations: the Sumter United Ministries office, 36 S. Artillery Drive, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and Bynum Insurance, 1170 Wilson Hall Road, now until Aug. 9 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Donations can also be dropped off at the First Baptist Church Gym Aug. 8-10 from 9 a.m. to noon.

The six most needed items, according to the SUM Facebook page, are loose-leaf notebook paper - college and wide ruled, three-ring binders, composition notebooks, pocket folders without clasp, pocket folders with clasp and primary writing tablets (ruled for kindergarten).

Other school supplies needed for the 2022-23 school year include the following: spiral notebooks (wide and college rule), pencils, ink pens (blue or black), crayons, colored pencils, glue sticks, hi-liters, rulers, round-tip scissors, large pencil boxes, back packs, copier paper, tissues, hand sanitizer and reading books (kindergarten and grades 1-3 readers).

All donated items must be new, but books may be gently used.

The donations will be for students in Sumter School District, grades K-12.

For more information, contact SUM at (803) 775-0757. To make a financial donation, call or mail to PO Box 1017, Sumter, SC 29151.