HOULTON, Maine — A small school bus was displayed on the lawn outside the entrance of the Houlton Walmart on Aug. 6, to encourage customers to provide school supplies for local children.
The goal of the event, which ran from 3 to 6 p.m., was to provide 300 backpacks full of various school supplies, such as binders, pencils and pocket folders. The supplies are to be handed out at the end of the month at the Military Street Baptist Church in Houlton, as part of a “drive-thru giveaway” event.
Nannette Mills, who oversees door-to-door operations for Adopt-A-Block of Aroostook, said the giveaway event, which is in its 12th year and is usually held as an outdoor party, had to be changed this year due to the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But she said the event will still try to maintain the festive spirit previous giveaways have had.
“We’re going to have clowns and popcorn and bicycles to give away,” said Mills. “We’re still going to have that party element, but nobody will be getting out of their vehicles.”
Backpacks are displayed at Walmart for the Adopt-a-Block of Aroostook’s “Stuff the Bus” program. (Alexander MacDougall)
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Adopt-A-Block of Aroostook has undertaken several new ventures to assist parents and schoolchildren, such as starting an after-school program due to earlier release times for school, and assisting Catholic Charities Maine in delivering food boxes.
They also have been holding food giveaways on Saturdays, with food donated from the Good Shepherd Food Bank.
“We just love working with the community, and any organization that wants to make a difference in the community, we’ll partner with them to get the job done,” said Mills.
In order to ensure the drive-thru giveaway goes as smoothly as possible, parents wishing to receive backpacks with school supplies are encouraged to pre-register their child for the event. This can be done by messaging Adopt-A-Block on their Facebook page, or by calling at 207-532-2783, extension 102.
