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All summer, parishes and organizations in the Albany Diocese have been helping needy families send their children back to school.

Thirteen-year-old Zamari Coffin rattled off items he needed with shock: mechanical pencils, highlighters, binders for every class, Post-it notes, hand sanitizer and a calculator, plus necessities.

Zamari is being raised by his grandmother, Deborah Hines, along with two other grandchildren. Ms. Hines uses several programs at St. John's/St. Ann's outreach center of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Albany's South End.

"My grandma can't afford a lot of stuff for me," Zamari told The Evangelist. "The pantry is doing good. They have stuff that I need."

Ms. Hines said the 13-year-old's list is "unbelievable this year." She's gotten paper, pens, pencils, crayons, erasers, binders, composition books and drawstring bags from SJ/SA in the past.

The number of children served by the center increased from 250 to 275 between 2012 and '13.

Coordinators pick up supply lists from schools as guides for collections. The center gives out leftover supplies in the middle of the school year. Surpluses go to particularly needy schools.

"I just do the best that I can," Ms. Hines said. "They really, truly helped me a lot. They do more than their share."

North Country Ministry's annual school supply collection serves 17 towns in the northernmost parts of the Albany Diocese, benefiting at least 75 children, according to Barbara Maffey, receptionist at the organization.

She said the need is increasing and NCM cannot cover everything on the school lists.

NCM faxes lists of needed supplies to Sacred Heart parish in Lake George, whose parishioners bring items into church. This year, items included notebooks, folders, binders, sneakers, backpacks and tissue boxes.

"When did they start making kids bring their own tissues?" wondered Kathy Dorman, pastoral associate for administration at Sacred Heart, adding: "Every kid should have a new backpack once in a while."

Sacred Heart parish also spent two weekends in August collecting supplies for a school district in South Carolina's Jasper County, where former parishioners are now teachers. That district is so strapped for cash that it asks for items like latex-free gloves, storybooks, dry erase markers, adult and child pull-ups, backpacks, winter hats and mittens. Parishioners were asked to buy items or give gift cards to big-box stores.

Mrs. Dorman knew the NCM collection would not suffer: "I don't think it takes away at all."

At Christ Our Light parish in Loudonville, the children of several dozen food pantry clients receive backpacks filled with supplies specified by their schools every August. Leftover items are distributed in January.

"There's a big need," said Bonnie Fagan, pastoral associate for administration. "The food pantry shows that. It's working families who can't make ends meet. We're helping teachers, too, because you read so much about them taking it out of their own pockets."[[In-content Ad]]

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