---

Drives for school supplies for families in need are everywhere. Here are just a few you can help:

• Emmaus House, Albany's Catholic Worker community, is collecting any supplies -- not just pencils and notebooks, but scientific calculators, hand sanitizer and paper towels -- and backpacks for more than 200 children. Supplies can be left in a green bin outside 45 Trinity Place, Albany, and gift cards or checks payable to Emmaus House can be slid through the mail slot. Call (518) 482-4966....

• St. Vincent de Paul parish's food pantry in Albany supplies 200-plus children with a backpack and school supplies. Requested are only spiral notebooks, marbled composition notebooks, glue sticks, rulers, pens, pencils, 24-pack crayons, erasers, pencil pouches and pocket folders....

• St. Lucy/St. Bernadette parish in Altamont is collecting items for children in nearby hill towns, for parish food pantry patrons and for Circles of Mercy in Rensselaer. Needed are notebooks, binders, paper, index cards, highlighters, Post-It notes, pencil cases, rulers, erasers, scissors and backpacks....

• Holy Trinity parish in Hudson/Germantown notes that Catholic Charities has been asked to help about 150 children with supplies, especially backpacks. Suggested items are crayons, colored pencils, markers, highlighters, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, pencil cases, glue, calculators, binders, looseleaf paper, composition books, rulers and subject dividers. They can be left in the church vestibules....

• At both worship sites of St. Kateri Tekakwitha parish in Schen-ectady, supplies are being collected: for the Schenectady Inner City Ministry food pantry, non-perishable food and grocery items (including personal care products and paper products); and for kids helped by the Works of Mercy initiative, gently-used and new clothing and new underwear and socks. The parish is also helping Emmaus House....

• SICM itself asked that donations be brought to its office at 1055 Wendell Ave. in Schenectady or its food pantry, and noted that financial donations are welcome. SICM is eligible for GE matching donations. (Contact ORON TUCKER, orontucker@ yahoo.com)....

• The Christ Child Society at St. Gabriel's in Rotterdam and St. Madeleine Sophie in Schenectady is collecting supplies until Aug. 16, including for the parishes' faith formation program: backpacks, colored pencils, looseleaf paper, Post-Its, pink erasers, pocket folders, crayons, subject dividers, pencil cases, binders, index cards, safety scissors, composition books, highlighters, glue sticks, spiral notebooks, pencils, pens, rulers, markers, scientific calculators and flash drives. Drop off donations in bins in the gathering areas of both churches, or mail checks payable to the Christ Child Society to P.O. Box 423, Guilderland Center, NY 12085 (call PALMA, 518-356-1109)....

• Notre Dame/Visitation parish in Schuylerville is collecting supplies for a local school; a list of items is posted in the back of the church, and donated items can be left there to be brought to the school at the end of August....

• The social justice committee of Our Lady of Victory and St. Anthony's in Troy is collecting supplies for kids in Troy until Aug. 16; there is a particular need for backpacks, binders, pencils, notebooks, pens, scissors and markers. There are bins in the church vestibules (call BARB, 518-929-4767)....

• All Saints Catholic Academy in Albany notes that its Adopt-a-Student program puts specific needed items in students' hands. Donors can pay for a student Bible ($15), school supplies ($20), a spirit shirt ($10), a back-to-school bundle ($17), a uniform ($55), a music lesson ($53) or even field trip attendance ($10). Parishioners can place checks payable to All Saints Catholic Academy in the collection basket at Mass or mail them....

• The St. James food pantry in Albany needs a large supply of items for its school supply collection: safety scissors, crayons, colored pencils, markers, looseleaf paper, spiral notebooks, large erasers and much more. St. John's/St. Ann's Center in Albany is also conducting a drive, asking people to drop off donations at 88 Fourth Ave. on some weekdays....

• The Tend-er Hearts program at Holy Trinity parish in Cohoes is seeking school supplies during August to support three local elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Donation boxes are in the church and parish center....

• The Christian service committee at St. Joseph's parish in Greenfield Center is collecting school supplies for children in need who attend schools served by the parish and its mission, St. Paul's in Rock City Falls....

• Annunciation parish in Ilion and Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Frankfort have placed bins in both churches for school supplies; binders and backpacks were mentioned in addition to the usual pens, crayons and paper....

• Sacred Heart in Lake George also has a box in the church's narthex and is accepting donations at the parish center. New children's shoes are needed for boys and girls, plus backpacks and school supplies....

• St. John the Baptist parish in Newport and Ss. Anthony and Joseph parish in Herkimer are concluding their school supply collection Aug. 15-16; donations can be left in the Herkimer church's chapel area....

• The peace and justice ministry at St. Mary's parish in Oneonta has begun its annual school supply drive for The Family Services Association, which distributes the items....

• St. John the Baptist in Valatie asked people to donate crayons, binders, backpacks, markers, rulers, glue sticks and composition books.[[In-content Ad]]

---