Back to School Bash in East Liverpool Ohio

The local Methodist churches in East Liverpool planned and held a "Back to School Bash" on August 17. A UMC grant was provided to help offset expenses as we reached out to local families in need. The party was held 6:00 to 8:00 PM at a local park with a large swimming pool. Kids and families came and swam, got free haircuts, free hot dogs and other goodies, and each school kid received a back pack with school supplies. The attendance was great - we think 1000 folks came - and we distributed 300 back packs to the kids. Local church members provided food, school supplies, drinks and worked the event. This was our first combined church event and we were not sure what to expect. At first the turnout seemed slow but as time passed we became amazed at the turnout. We had to buy more food and wound up giving away 300 filled back packs! A little organizing and a few churches working together made a big difference to a lot of kids going back to school. Times have been tough in the East Liverpool area but the light of Christ shone that evening. Each back pack had a red plastic tag that read: "This back pack was blessed by the United Methodist Churches of East Liverpool and Wellsville".