The ARK helps more than 200 Cheatham County students prepare for school

Families from across Cheatham County gathered at Kingston Springs Elementary School on July 25 as The ARK hosted its annual School Supply Giveaway, providing backpacks, school supplies and community resources ahead of the new school year.

This year's event served 205 students, just shy of last year's total of 213.

The giveaway gave students the chance to choose a backpack before visiting tables staffed by local schools, churches, community organizations and agencies offering information and resources.

"So many of our families made a point to tell us how much they appreciated the help with a backpack and supplies," White said. "The younger kids were so excited to pick out a special backpack and were all smiles visiting every table."

White credited the success of the annual event to the many volunteers, organizations and donors who contributed their time and resources.

"We had such a good time seeing all the families go through the line to visit all the tables and get their backpack with supplies," The ARK wrote in a Facebook post after the event. "Thank you to our wonderful community for showing up at the event or for making monetary donations to help us buy the supplies. You all keep our families afloat."

Participating organizations included the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office, Pegram Elementary School, Kingston Springs Elementary School, Harpeth Middle School, Harpeth High School, United Community Bank in Pegram, Kingston Springs United Methodist Church, Pegram Church of Christ, the Cheatham County School District, the Tennessee Department of Health, Charlotte Road Baptist Church and the South Cheatham Public Library.

White also thanked Staples for helping order and deliver school supplies, as well as local churches and individual donors whose financial contributions made the giveaway possible.

The ARK hosts the annual event each summer to help ease the financial burden of back-to-school shopping while ensuring local students begin the school year with the supplies they need.