Backpacks, folders and pencils littered the gymnasium of Brookside Learning Center in Cassopolis Saturday afternoon after many Cass County residents came and picked up a number of free school supplies.

The United Way’s annual School Supply Spectacular took place Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This year marks the 10th year that the United Way has provided school supplies to low-income families. The one-day annual event allows families in need to pick-up a backpack filled with school supplies tailored to what is recommended for a child at each grade level.

In addition to school supplies, a Feeding America of West Michigan Mobile Food Pantry also set up a truck outside the event to provide food and groceries to all families who needed them.

Sponsors of the program included: the Pokagon Fund, the McLoughlin Family Foundation, Chemical Bank, the Edwards Lowe Foundation and Fifth Third Bank.

“The point of this program is to give backpacks to kids in need from the Cass County School area,” said Anna Murphy, of United Way.

According to Murphy, the program initially began with the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District, but as the program grew bigger and bigger, they turned to United Way to take the program over.

“[In the last 10 years of hosting the project] we’ve maintained numbers,” Murphy said. “We are still giving away around 1,000 backpacks to children in need.”

With more than 100 volunteers this year, United Way prepared 900 backpacks full of supplies to give to children Brookside Learning giveaway and a separate giveaway in Marcellus. Any leftover backpacks and supplies will be donated to service programs in the area.

Many of those who came to partake in the event were grateful of the opportunity to receive school supplies free of charge.

David Weist, a single father from Howard Township, attended the drive with his daughter, Jaki, who will be attending Ring Lardner Middle School in Niles in the fall. Though they were not present at the event, Weist also picked up backpacks full of supplies for his two sons, who are 17 and 18 years old. Weist has been coming to the School Supply Specular for the last five years.

“This is our annual school supply replenishment,” Weist said. “Every year it is helpful. It’s a wonderful program. We look forward to it every school year.”

Weist said that being a single parent with three children made buying school supplies prohibitively expensive every fall, which is why he began attending the United Way supply drive.

“This really, really helps out,” Weist said. “It’s a god-send.”

Jalana Gillum expressed a similar sentiment as she was at the event picking up school supplies for her niece and nephew, who will be entering Sam Adams Elementary School in Cassopolis in the fall.

“[The School Supply Spectacular] seems like a good way to get kids ready for school, which is helpful,” Gillum said. “I know [my niece and nephew] will be excited by what they find inside the backpacks.”