Sara Moran is already counting down the days to school but it's more for budget purposes than to bid adieu to summer.
The single mom said it's tricky to finance wardrobes, backpacks and other supplies for three school-aged children.
She appreciates the help each year from Sharpsburg Family Worship Center, the church along Eighth Street that gives more than 350 families each year some relief from back-to-school spending.
Operation Backpack will be 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 at the social hall, 600 Clay St. There will be free backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, games and food. There will also be a rummage sale.
“Operation Backpack is a blessing,” Moran said. “I am on a fixed income. The book bags and school supplies they provide are life savers.”
Last year, the event distributed backpacks to about 380 children in kindergarten through 12th grade who attend Fox Chapel Area and Shaler Area school districts, said Children's Ministry and Outreach Director Jamie Horne.
Moran said the supplies help her children start the school year with confidence.
“That starts the year off right,” she said. “The church adds haircuts and food and it really makes you feel welcome.”
Sharpsburg Family Worship Center operates not only as a church, Horne said, but as a community outreach.
The church provides an emergency food bank, weekly dinners, free summer breakfast and lunch and a Christmas give-a-gift program.
“We feel the need to not only provide for spiritual needs but for tangible needs in our community,” Horne said. “We love Sharpsburg and the families that live here.”
Tawnya Panizzi is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. Reach her at 412-782-2121, ext. 2 or at tpanizzi@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tawnyatrib.
