The Jefferson County Lutheran Churches group will hold its 10th annual Grace Day on Saturday, Aug. 3, at Zion Lutheran Church, 9700 Zion Lutheran Church Road, in Hillsboro.
The event, which will be held from 8 a.m. to noon, is aimed at helping families with children in kindergarten through grade 12 as they get ready to start a new school year.
The back-to-school event has been held since 2015 and has helped more than 10,000 people since then, said organizer Sarah Middleton, the community action coordinator at Zion Lutheran in Hillsboro.
At the event, families will receive book bags and school supplies, as well as shoes and socks, underwear and hygiene products. Haircuts and school photos will be available for free on a first-come basis.
“Anybody can come to this event, no questions asked,” Middleton said. “We require no documentation, and we require zero income information.”
The churches helped 1,249 people at the 2023 Grace Day, including 745 children, Middleton said, adding that the group expects about 1,200 people to attend this year’s event.
Representatives from Missouri Extension will be on hand to help attendees sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
The Dunklin R-5 and Hillsboro R-3 school districts also will have representatives there to help parents sign up their children for free and reduced lunch programs, and the representatives will send the form for free and reduced lunches to public schools in the Jefferson County area.
There will also be an automotive check lane to top off oil and windshield wiper fluid.
Middleton said it’s touching to help with the event.
“When you see people who are coming to this type of event who don’t have the things they need and struggle to put food on their kid’s plate every night for dinner it’s very eye-opening and makes you very, very grateful for the things you have.”
Tim Krysl, a member of Zion Lutheran in Hillsboro who teaches at a local school district, came up with the idea for Grace Day, after seeing firsthand what kids need when going back to school, Middleton said.
“He had this idea of how can we better host things for the community and provide more for the community members who are living in poverty and living in need of these back-to-school need?” Middleton said.
Initially, Zion Lutheran in Hillsboro held the event by itself. However, when other Lutheran churches in Jefferson County heard about it, they began volunteering, and then the churches decided to work together to put it on.
“So, each church kind of plays their part,” Middleton said.
This year Zion Lutheran in Hillsboro and St. John’s Lutheran Church in Arnold collected shoes; Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Crystal City collected underwear; St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Otto collected socks; Zion Lutheran Church in Pevely collected backpacks; and Cedar Hill Lutheran Church collected hygiene bags and is helping with the automotive check lane.
Five years ago, the participating churches decided to take turns hosting the event to make it more accessible for people.
“Hillsboro is not exactly close for everyone in the county, and so (moving the locations) gives everyone in the county an opportunity to rotate around and really take part.”
Middleton said her two favorite things at the event are the haircuts and school pictures.
“Most of these moms that come in and get their kids picture taken, it’s the first professional photo they’ve ever had taken of their kids,” Middleton said. “So, it’s really neat to see.”
Middleton said Zion Lutheran in Hillsboro is not accepting donations of items right now, but it is accepting monetary donations to go toward next year’s Grace Day.
She said organizers also are seeking more hairstylists to donate their time to provide haircuts at the event.
Additionally, event organizers are looking for an auto mechanic to be at the event to offer advice to people with vehicle problems.
“If you’re on the fence about attending our Grace Day events, don’t hesitate, come be loved on,” Middleton said. “Let us give you all the things you need to make your school year successful.”