South Hills Interfaith Movement seeks back-to-school donations

South Hills Interfaith Movement is looking for donations to help provide students with the supplies they need to have a safe and successful school year.
Thanks to a donation from CentiMark Corp., SHIM will distribute more than 1,100 new backpacks to local students, and donations are sought to help fill them.
SHIM’s 2020 Back-to-School drive helped a record-breaking 1,400 students return safely with the tools needed to thrive in a year of hybrid and virtual school.
Also, SHIM’s food pantries saw an increase in need of 60% during the height of the pandemic. The pattern has continued, and more than 2,500 people benefit from the food pantries every month.
As a result, SHIM is expecting continued increased demand at its annual back-to-school distribution.
To provide a donation by Aug. 6 anyone can:
Host a drive. Visit shimcares.org
- for resources to help set up the drive;
- Deliver school supplies directly to SHIM’s Bethel Park office, 5301 Park Ave.;
- Make a donation to the Back-to-School fund.
The most-needed items include three-ring binders, earbuds/headphones, 70-count spiral notebooks, pencil cases, index cards, facial masks, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, folders and glue.
SHIM will host three Back-to-School distribution events where K-12 students from Baldwin-Whitehall, Bethel Park, Keystone Oaks, Mt. Lebanon, South Park and Upper St. Clair school districts will be able to pick up their new supplies, regardless of family income.
They are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 17 at Whitehall Presbyterian Church, 4935 E. Willock Road; 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 18 at Pleasant Hills Presbyterian Church, 199 Old Clairton Road; and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 19 at SHIM Bethel Park
For questions about setting up a drive or making a donation, email Rachel White, development assistant, at rwhite@shimcares.org.