A group of local residents is organizing a community-wide donation drive to fill school buses with food and school supplies for families needing a helping hand.
School buses will be located outside participating stores in Chatham, Tilbury, Blenheim, and Dresden for the single-day drive on August 28 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tim Haskell, one of the organizers, said he saw social media posts about local charities running low on donations and wanted to help.
"As a citizen, I thought we would try to help out," said Haskell. "A lot of these kids are going back to school for the first time in almost two years, so I think it's okay to fill up bags so kids can have full bellies and school supplies."
The participating stores in Chatham include Sobeys, Food Basics, Mercato's, Giant Tiger, No Frills, and the Real Canadian Superstore.
There will be a bus in Blenheim at Sobeys, along with the Tilbury and Dresden Foodlands.
"Our job is to try to make sure we fill them up," said Haskell. "We are going to make sure we get the donations into the right hands so they can give it to those who may need it."
Some of the suggested donations are juice boxes, healthy school snacks, canned fruit and vegetables, oatmeal, crackers, backpacks, and school supplies.
"All of the donations will stay in the community," said Haskell.
Haskell said the committee is still looking for some extra volunteers to help collect the food and school donations. Local residents who are interested can send him a message on Facebook.
"Residents can also drop off donations to the locations without having to shop at a store."
