By Susan Bromley

Staff Writer

Ortonville– It’s almost the most expensive time of the year for some parents.

Children here head back to school in one month and more than 100 families will turn to the Ortonville Community Emergency Fund for help with classroom essentials. OCEF hopes those who find themselves in more fortunate circumstances will pick up some items for a stranger’s child while shopping for their own.

“This time of year really puts a lot of stress on our clients,” said Karyn Milligan OCEF food pantry director and St. Anne Christian Services coordinator. “They worry about how they will get their kids supplies, and shoes, and back-to-school clothes. It’s a very stressful time.”

OCEF will provide necessary items to low-income families in the Brandon School District in order to help get kids off to a good start for the school year. You can help by donating the following: backpacks, composition notebooks, headphones for iPads, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, erasers, notebook paper, pencils, pens, 1- or 2-inch 3-ring binders, crayons (24 or 48 count only), colored pencils, Crayola markers and Twistables, skinny dry erase markers, highlighters, Post-it notes (3×3 and 3×5), glue sticks, pencil boxes, scissors, and rulers. Supplies will be accepted up until the start of school, but the main distribution is Aug. 21.

Items can be donated at St. Anne Church, 825 S. Ortonville Road; Bueche’s Food World, 400 N. Ortonville Road; MSU Federal Credit Union, 4 South St.; and The Citizen, 12 South St.

For more information on how you can help OCEF, call Karyn Milligan at 248-627-3965.