SACO — In the span of a few short years, a initiative of the Catholic church intended to provide foster children in the area with school supplies has expanded dramatically and now assists students from as far away as Kenya.

Good Shepherd Parish, made up of Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco; St. Joseph Church in Biddeford; St. Margaret Church in Old Orchard Beach and St. Philip Church in Lyman, created a backpack drive in 2016 to collect new, unisex backpacks and school supplies for distribution to area foster children and all local children in need in first grade through fifth grade.

“We started this project with one audience in mind, but we soon discovered there were other groups that could benefit from our work,” said Bonnie Buechs, chairperson of the Social Justice & Peace Commission at Good Shepherd Parish.

Buechs said that parishioners and community members are encouraged to drop off the materials at any of the parish’s four churches in boxes marked “Backpacks and Supplies.”

In 2016, more than 80 backpacks loaded with school supplies were given to state foster care social workers, to Lyman Elementary School, and the York County Shelter in Alfred. Extra supplies collected that year were donated to Dayton Elementary School.

According to Buechs, last year, an overwhelming community response and the rapid growth of the initiative left organizers amazed as more than 180 backpacks were filled and given away to students in need.

“Around 50 went to state foster care social workers; over 50 went to schools in Lyman and Dayton, at St. James School in Biddeford, and Sweetser School in Saco; and 15 went to Seeds of Hope,” said Buechs.

That left more than 50 filled backpacks to donate and Buechs said it was an opportunity to help children living on the other side of the world.

“Those remaining backpacks will go to a school in Kenya this summer,” said Buechs. “A member of the Good Shepherd Parish Social Justice & Peace Commission volunteers there every year and she expressed that there is a real need. The commission’s responsibility to the parish is to provide opportunities for parishioners to practice social justice. What better way than to share resources with those in need.”

She said that a collection for this year’s backpacks has launched at the four Good Shepherd Parish churches, with distribution targeted  for late August.

Everyone is welcome to contribute to the program and participants are encouraged to donate these items:

• Plastic pencil boxes with lids no larger than 6 x 9 inches

• Pencil containers with a zip up pouch

• Pencils and erasers

• Glue sticks

• Boxes of 24 Crayola crayons, markers, colored pencils, and/or dry erase markers

• Pocket folders

• Spiral notebooks

• 1/2 inch three-ring binders

• Headphones/earbuds for computers/iPads

• Pens for grades 3 to 5

Donations can be made at Most Holy Trinity Church (271 Main St., Saco), St. Joseph Church (178 Elm St., Biddeford), St. Margaret Church (6 Saco Ave., Old Orchard Beach), and St. Philip Church (404 Goodwins Mill Road, Lyman).

For more information about the backpack initiative, call Good Shepherd Parish at 282-3321.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com