Several Lutheran churches in Jefferson County are teaming up to provide families with back-to-school supplies.
The eighth annual Grace Day will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 6, at Cedar Hill Lutheran Church, 8600 Silver Lane.
“It is basically a way to give back to the community at a time that’s usually pretty stressful and can be costly, especially if you have a lot of children, because it’s back-to-school time,” said Caitlyn Gensler, the church’s office manager.
Other churches involved in the project include St. John’s Lutheran Church in Arnold, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Imperial, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Barnhart, Zion Lutheran Church in Pevely, Zion Lutheran Church in Hillsboro and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Festus.
At the Grace Day event, the churches will give away shoes, clothing, hygiene items and school supplies to families with children getting ready for the upcoming school year.
“It’s open to anyone; we’re not going to be asking any questions,” said Gensler, of Byrnes Mill. “If you can drive there, you are welcome.”
She said children should be present at the event to be sized correctly for items like shoes.
All items will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis, including socks, underwear and hygiene items, including toilet paper, tissues, detergent, shampoo, body wash, soap, toothpaste and deodorant.
Gensler said Cedar Hill Lutheran Church received a $10,000 grant from the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis to purchase the hygiene items. Backpacks with paper, pencils and a notebook will also be available. Volunteers also will check fluids on vehicles during the event.
Gensler said this will be the first time Cedar Hill Lutheran will host the giveaway, but church members have been involved with the event for several years after it was started by Zion Lutheran Church in Hillsboro.
“This is a community service. We’re trying to serve the community and show the love and grace of Christ by trying to help out,” she said. “Everybody’s dealing with rising costs and inflation. We really strive to help as many families as we can.”
Gensler said the event is normally well attended. “We had 700 pairs of shoes and ran out one year,” she said.
Last year the giveaway was a drive-thru event because of the pandemic, and more than 100 families attended. In 2019, 817 children attended the event, she said.
Gensler said anyone planning to attend the event needs to get in line on Cedar Springs Road and proceed to the church.
“We don’t want to block off Hwy. 30 and make that intersection dangerous,” she said.
Gensler expects a line, so portable toilets have been rented to be placed along the line. Gensler said anyone looking to volunteer during the event or donate money for supplies should send an email to chlutheran@gmail.com.