St. Vincent de Paul's Project Pencil donates 300 backpacks to local schools

Volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul delivered boxes of approximately 300 backpacks and school supplies this week to over 20 schools in the Lakes Region. Deliveries were made to schools in Laconia, Gilford, Belmont, Gilmanton, Meredith and Tilton. Project Pencil, which is run by SVDP’s Children’s Foundation, aims to help children in need to have a positive self-image and achieve an appropriate and complete educational experience. School supplies include binders, paper, notebooks, markers, highlighters, pencils, crayons and erasers. Project Pencil provides more than school supplies. Children also receive personal hygiene products like head lice shampoo, deodorant and female hygiene products. Socks and underwear are also donated to school nurses. Local program supports include John’s Corvette Service and RFS Engineering, which has contributed to Project Pencil for many years. Sue Page of the Children’s Foundation said people trust the work St. Vincent de Paul has been doing for over 30 years. “A lot of people, they donate to us because they know it's going where it belongs,” she said. “I've grown up in this community, so I think people who know me know that it's going to the right places.” To find out more about the project, call SVDP at 603-524-5470.