The new school year officially starts on Tuesday, August 6 with a half-day and the first full day on August 8. As a way to help out students and teachers in our community, the La Vergne Police and Fire Departments will be holding a School Supply and Backpack Drive to collect school supplies that can be handed out to schools.
âItâs important for us to do what we can to build up our community,â says Chief Mike Walker. âIt really does take a village to raise a child and all we want is the kids in our community to have all the tools needed to succeed.â
A study done by the National Retail Federation found last yearâs back-to-school and college spending reached $82.8B, estimating households would spend an average of $685 and $942 for back-to-college spending in 2018. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported a 2018 report from the Education Department found teachers are also digging into their personal wallets to cover the cost of school supplies, averaging about $500 a year.
Fire Chief Chris Clark said, âwe know first-hand just how much of a burden the cost of supplies can put on teachers and families. Our department is happy to work hand-in-hand with the police to do whatever we can to help the kids in our community and their families.â
The departments will be accepting donation from July 1st through August 31st. All donations can be dropped off at the La Vergne Police Department, 5093 Murfreesboro Road, Fire Administration (283 Old Nashville Highway), Fire Station 1 (169 Stones River Road) Fire Station 2 (609 Waldron Road), or Fire Station 3 (301 Bill Stewart Boulevard).
The La Vergne Police Department will be accepting new:
⢠Backpacks
⢠Pencils
⢠Pens
⢠Permanent Markers
⢠Highlighters
⢠Glue Sticks
⢠Tissues/Paper Towels
⢠Crayons
⢠Colored Pencils
⢠Rulers
⢠Hand Sanitizer
⢠Lysol Wipes
⢠Pocket Folders
⢠Notebooks
⢠Paper
Many families will wait until Tax Free weekend to purchase their school supplies which is scheduled for July 26, 27 and 28 this year. Eligible items include clothing and school supplies that costs less than $100 each and computers priced under $1,500. A list of eligible and exempt items is available on TN.gov.
