For the City-Times

Family registration for Project Fresh Start, a United Way of Portage County Volunteer Center program that provides school supplies to qualifying students, will come to a close this week.

Registration is open through Friday, Aug. 1, for the distribution event taking place Saturday, Aug. 16, at Ben Franklin Junior High School in Stevens Point. A separate distribution for students of Almond-Bancroft schools will be held Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the school in Almond. Pre-registration for this event is not required.

“If you are a family that could use help with school supplies and have not yet registered, please do so,” said Kayla Rombalski, United Way of Portage County Volunteer Center Director. “Pre-registering helps us to collect enough quantities of supplies for all children served by the program.”

Registration forms and informational materials for families can be found online at www.volunteersrock.org, in most school offices and at United Way of Portage County, 1100 Centerpoint Drive, Stevens Point. Participants are encouraged to register early, as time slots to pick up supplies are assigned according to the date registration forms are submitted.

Any K-12 student enrolled in a Portage County school and who qualifies for the federal free and reduced priced meal program is eligible to receive supplies. More than 3,000 students in Portage County will be eligible to receive supplies through Project Fresh Start. Last year Project Fresh Start served more than 1,000 students in Portage County.

Rombalski also said more volunteers are still needed to make sure this event is a success. “Project Fresh Start could not be successful without the help of more than 200 volunteers,” she said. “We are still in need of volunteers to distribute supplies to children on Saturday, Aug. 16, and to inventory and pack supplies on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 14 and 15.”

Individuals and groups can sign up to volunteer at Project Fresh Start by going to www.volunteersrock.org/pfs.

Contact the United Way of Portage County Volunteer Center at 715-341-6740 or [email protected] for more information.