Supplies, Brooke Ricciad, left, hands out school supplies to Nancy Gonzalez, of Lehigh Acres, shown here with her two children, Antonio and Emylia. Gonzales said she appreciated the school supplies and called the giveaway a “good program.” Photo by Mel Toadvine

“Everything went very smoothly, our handing out of school supplies was a success,” said Charlotte Ray Nicely, executive director of Lehigh Community Services. Some 235 children and their parents were loaded up with school supplies on July 28 at the agency’s new site at 201 Plaza Drive.

“We’re so grateful to the community. They really came through for us. Without their help, none of this would have been possible,” Nicely said as she looked down at the many plastic tubs that stored the backpacks filled with schools supplies such as note books, papers, pencils, and other things that children need when they go back to school.

Classes resume all over Lee County on Aug. 8. And one of the things these kids like are new pair of sneakers and thanks to the Christ United Methodist church, they had gift cards to hand out that go toward students’ new sneakers.

Two of the women manning the table when folks entered to get their children’s school supplies were Tanya Robinson and Rosanno Alvarado, a volunteer. Robinson is an employee of the agency.

“The people were in line when we opened up at around 1 p.m.,” said Alvarado. “And from there, we have had a steady flow of family members coming in up to 3 p.m.”

Regina Reva, left, and her daughter, Allyia, who is a year old, are shown being given gift cards for sneakers from Jo Ann Landes-Ross of the Christ United Methodist Church. The gift cards are for her children to use at Walmart. The church has given more than 1,000 such gift cards for sneakers over the past several years. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Those who qualified to receive free school supplies had already applied and the backpacks and other items were all assembled in an area off the Pantry Room and volunteers went to retrieve the backpacks and Jo Ann Landes-Ross from the Christ United Methodist Church, handed out the free gift cards for sneakers. Each family was given a piece of paper with a number and that information was given to Landes-Ross.

“We were happy to do this for the students in Lehigh this year,” Landes-Ross said. “Our congregation has really enjoyed donating money in $10 bills for the purchase of the gift cards.”

She said some 200 gift cards were handed out to elementary school students.

One of the mothers who received school supplies for their two children was Veronica Smith of Lehigh.

“This is my first time and I found the gifts very helpful,” she said.

Tanya Robinson, left, and Rosanno Alvarade welcome families who came to get school supplies last week from Lehigh Community Services. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Brooke Ricciard, a paramedic engineer with the Lehigh Acres Fire Department, was there to represent members of the agency which gave money to help buy school supplies. She helped to retrieve the supplies and bring them to the families. Firefighters paid for many of the backpacks filled with school supplies.

“They all felt it was a good thing to do, to give back to the community in which they serve,” Ricciard said.

“I can hardly put it in words as how I personally feel. It is just a good feeling to see so many students and their families being helped,” she said.

The free school supply giveaway began at 1 p.m. and within the first 30 minutes, Landes-Ross said she had passed out 65 gift cards for sneakers.

“After the first group of families that came in when we opened, there has been a steady flow people really have not had to stand outside and wait,” she said. Temperatures were hovering around 90 degrees by midafternoon.

Nicely, who heads the agency, said she wanted to give special thanks to Bob Bowers, owner of Bowers Accounting in Lehigh.

“He came through for us the last minute when we needed more backpacks. He was happy to get them for us, and each was filled with school supplies.

A large number came from New Life Assembly of God church plus many from the Lehigh Fire Dept.

Nicely said there were five volunteers who helped and three staff members of Lehigh Community Services.

“They worked really hard to make it run smoothly and it was a good thing.”