JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services in Berlin are collecting back to school supplies for area children.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(July 19, 2018) Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services in Berlin have begun its annual back-to-school supply collection for children in Kindergarten through eighth grade.

Last year more than 200 backpacks were given to schoolchildren at Buckingham Elementary School, Ocean City Elementary School and Pocomoke Middle School.

Debbie Smullen, billing and insurance specialist for Worcester Youth, said the collection is done with help from the Berlin Police Department, which each year donates either school supplies or the backpacks to hold them.

Additional partners are Stevenson United Methodist Church and Friendship Methodist United Church, both in Berlin.

Along with distributing supplies to schools, “We give the backpacks to all of our kids who are in our Berlin Youth Club program, and also our SAGES and SABERS programs,” Smullen said. “We make sure we provide for them, as well as their siblings through our Family Connections program.”

Collection boxes for donations are set up at Worcester Youth and Family’s office on 124 North Main Street, Suite C, in Berlin and at Ayers Creek Adventures on 8628 Grey Fox Lane in Berlin.

“They give discounts off the services at Ayers Creek if their customers bring in school supplies to donate,” Smullen said.

The first round of backpacks will be distributed during the next Bus Stop Snack Shack, Aug. 17 at Dr. William Henry Park in Berlin from 4-6 p.m.

“Parents can come and get a backpack at that time,” Smullen said.

She added how wide the supplies are distributed this year would be based on “how much we can actually get from donations.”

School supplies needed are:

-One, three and five-subject notebooks

-Backpacks

-Bottles of glue

-Colored pencils

-Composition books

-Crayola crayons

-Dividers

-Dry erase markers

-Ear buds

-Glue sticks

-Hand sanitizer

-Highlighters

-Large pink erasers

-Notebook paper

-Pencils, #2

-Plastic folders with pockets

-Pocket folders with brads

-School box, pencil case

-Scissors, blunt with metal blades

-Scissors, Friskars are best

-Tissues

-Wipes, Lysol or Clorox

-White paper plates

-Zip lock bags, all sizes

Additionally, financial contributions can be made to Worcester Youth and earmarked for the back to school drive.

For more information, call 410-641-4598 or visit www.gowoyo.org.