Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce President Michelle Mikitish accepted a sizable donation school supplies and hygiene products from the Greater Pittston Santa Squad this past week. Shown with Mikitish are Paul McGarry, back left, and Anthony Marranca, back right, founder of the Santa Squad.
Submitted photo.
PITTSTON – The Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Network is conducting a School Supply & Backpack Drive until Friday, Aug. 18 at the Greater Pittston Chamber office, 104 Kennedy Blvd., Pittston, between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
The Women’s Network is looking for school supplies and hygiene products as well.
Backpacks, pens, pencils, folders, notebooks, highlighters, colored pencils, markers, crayons, pencil sharpeners, and glue sticks will be accepted.
Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand sanitizer, deodorant, barrettes/hair ties, chap stick, toothbrushes and toothpaste and combs and brushes will also be accepted.
According to Michelle Mikitish, Chamber president, the supplies will be donated to children in the Pittston Area and Wyoming Area School Districts for the 2023-2024 school year.
This isn’t the first time the Chamber held such a drive
“It’s important to support Middle School students and we are losing a lot of these students in not being able to see a pathway to success,” Mikitish said. “There’s a lot of opportunities for great success in Greater Pittston and the supplies are the tools that they will need to get there.”
Mikitish said she believes if students have the tools for school they will be ready for learning.
“We’ve learned from the past that during these drives, the backpack giveaways go very fast, maybe even 20 to 30 minutes,” Mikitish said. “We’re targeting collecting 200 packs.”
With four-weeks left in the drive Mikitish said the drive is doing well with the supplies, but are behind with the backpacks.
“Since we are looking to donate to Middle School students, we are not looking for cartoonish backpacks, but more solid colors and the boys would probably like a messenger-type bag.
For more information on supplies needed, call Michelle or Brandi Bartush at the Chamber at 570-655-1424.
