13th Annual School Supply Give Away of Gary
Six Porsches left the Tire Rack parking lot Saturday, August 9, 2014 carrying 10 club members to volunteer at the annual backpack and grade specific school supply give away. Arriving at the Able to Store It warehouse of members Sharon and Ben Tyler we were told to line up our Porsches by the fence with their own so the students would also see a small car show. Students began lining up by 8:30 am. Meanwhile, we, along with 72 other community volunteers were unpacking boxes of all colors and sizes of backpacks, sorting bins of school supplies into individual student grade level bundles for later insertion into backpacks. It didn’t take long until all were working like a well trained assembly crew. Grill master, Matt Napieralski, was busy cooking hot dogs and others were setting up to dispense buns, condiments, chips, and juice boxes for the students and their parents.
At 10 am the student were ushered in to choose the backpack of their choice. As one might expect, many of the young girls chose pink. They then brought their packs to be filled at tables labelled by grade. From there it was off to the food line,and free barber or beautician. The process continued until about 2:30 p when more than 1,100 student had received their free backpacks and supplies, eaten their fill of 1,400 hot dogs shared in the festive activity.
Thanks to the excellent planning, fund raising, and purchasing organized by Sharon, Ben, and the SSGA volunteers throughout the year, another successful give away was completed with no one being turned away without their needed supplies. Thanks also to our faithful Michiana PCA volunteers Rudi Engler, Susan & Dick Broadbent, Fran & Matt Napieralski, Don Huss, Cheryl & Dean McCann, Mary Ann & Jonathan Wieand. If you weren’t there, you missed a good time followed by a feast at the Bracero Mexican Restaurant in Michigan City.