Nearly 75 area volunteers gathered at the College of Southern Maryland to help the Charles County Children’s Aid Society stuff and distribute 1,500 new backpacks with school supplies for Charles County Public School students.

LA PLATA, Md. – The College of Southern Maryland recently hosted nearly 75 area volunteers who lined up to help the Charles County Children’s Aid Society stuff and distribute 1,500 new backpacks with school supplies for Charles County Public School students. It is the sixth year that CSM employees welcomed volunteers for the event, which this year included support from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the Charles County Correctional Officer Association, World Wide Movers, Food Lion, Order of the Eastern Stars, United Way of Charles County and Best Buy to assist with the effort that has been helping Charles County families for 15 years.

“This effort helps to fill a huge need in our community,” explained Charles County Children’s Aid Society Executive Director Danielle Wilmoth. “Unfortunately, at this time of the year, some families are struggling to provide required school supplies for their children. We like to think that we are helping students level the playing field for when they walk into school the first day; and those students validate us when we see their big smiles on the day they walk into the CSM Center for Building and Industry (BI) and pick out their very own brand new backpack stuffed with every supply they could possibly think of.”

(Pictured above: Eight-year-old Javier Mendez and his brother Anthony Mendez, 11, select their binders as part of the ‘Stuff the Backpack’ project.)

“It is just a great way to give back to the community,” said Senior Circulation Manager of CSM Library Anita Warnes. “Helping a child succeed today, may lead them to being a great college student here at CSM in the future.”

The two-day ‘Stuff a Backpack’ event started Friday, Aug. 17 with volunteers unpacking donated supplies and new backpacks, creating an assembly line and stuffing the backpacks over the course of several hours at CSM’s BI Building. On Saturday, Aug. 18, parents who have children attending Charles County public high, middle and elementary schools came to the BI Building – many with students in tow – to personally pick out their supplies.

“We here at the Children’s Aid Society are small in staff, but big in heart,” Wilmoth shared. “There is absolutely no way we could get these major need projects done without our community volunteers and the support of CSM and other county agencies. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped us, help our community.”

To learn more about the Charles County Children’s Aid Society or request a backpack, visit https://childrens-aid-society.org.

To view photos from the ‘Stuff a Backpack’ event, visit online https://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/18backpacks.