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United Way Hosting Backpack Drive, To Get New Kindergartners Ready

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -- United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region wants to make sure incoming kindergartners are prepared to learn this fall -- and they want your help.

Volunteers stuff folders and backpacks during a prior United Way school-supplies event.

Volunteers stuff folders and backpacks during a prior United Way school-supplies event.

Photo Credit: Megan McKann Facebook

The organization is hosting a Back-to-School Backback Drive, with a goal of providing four school districts in Dutchess and Orange counties with backpacks filled with school supplies for children in need.

Folks can drop off supplies at two locations, donate money directly or host backpack drives of their own.

Items needed include crayons, pencils and erasers, markers, glue, child-safe scissors, pocket folders, and notebooks. You can drop off donations at the United Way Poughkeepsie or Montgomery offices from Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The addresses are 75 Market St., Poughkeepsie, and 30 Scott’s Corners Dr., Montgomery, respectively. Donations will be collected until 4 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12.

If you want to donate money and have others do the shopping, click here, and the funds will be used for the backpack supply drive.

To host your own backpack drive, you can print a flyer here -- or simply post the flyer for the general drive. If you have questions about how to run a drive through your community organization or workplace, contact Rebecca Lull at rlull@uwdor.org or 845-471-1900, ext. 3113.

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