With the first day of school quickly approaching for students in Northeast Georgia, the Georgia Mountains YMCA will be giving away over 500 backpacks and school supplies in a Back to School Bash event.
Families can participate in the event on Thursday, July 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the J.A. Walters Family YMCA facility on Highway 365, according to Kaitlin Allman, Marketing & Communications Manager at the Georgia Mountains YMCA.
This will be the fourth year the Back to School Bash will be held, but unlike past years, the YMCA will host a drive-through line for cars to keep families safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We did talk about whether or not we should cancel the event, because normally it is an in-person event, but we still wanted to be able to serve the families,” Gwendolyn Hatcher, Association Childcare Director at the Georgia Mountains YMCA said.
According to Hatcher, YMCA volunteers will also wear face coverings and follow social distancing guidelines to further increase the level of safety.
Families will be able to drive up to collect their pre-packed bookbags and school supplies and play simple games like “I Spy” according to Allman.
Sponsors including Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Northside Hospital, CareSource and MedLink plan to contribute to the school supplies list with items like crayons, toothbrushes, paper, folders and more.