SHELBY – First Lutheran Church Shelby will host its inaugural back-to-school carnival Aug. 16. from 5-7 p.m.
The community event at 33 Broadway St. will include games, prizes, bounce houses, a kids’ craft station, a temporary body art station and complimentary food, including cotton candy, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos and snow cones.
Free school supplies, including pencils, crayons, glue, markers, folders and notebooks will be distributed to students who attend the carnival.
Director of Children’s Programming Sarah Martin said supplies the church has gathered are not only for elementary grades, but also for students through grade eight.
There is no cost to attend the inaugural event, open to all in the community and children of all ages.
Calculators, backpacks and lunch boxes will also be distributed, she said.
The carnival will run concurrently with Shelby City Schools Aug. 16 open house for grades three through five, Martin said.
The district’s open house for grades three and five is at 5 p.m., grade four will follow at 6 p.m.
“Families can come to our event for the first hour to get supplies and then go to the open house or, go to the open house and then finish up at our event,” she said.
Martin has been the Director of Children’s Programming at First Lutheran Church for 16 years, when she said she organized her first children’s bible school.
“Over the last few years, our bible school attendance started to dwindle and then everything ended with COVID,” she said.
Martin said that during a recent discussion with First Lutheran Church Treasurer/Office Manager Brian Crum, it was determined the time was right to launch a new community event.
“Community events are our identity,” she said. “It’s not about ourselves, or how much money we can raise.”
“It’s about what we can do for others and, in the process, help draw community members to our congregation,” Martin said.
Funds to help purchase the school supplies were raised through church collections and individual donations made by members of the congregation, she said.
Martin said that congregation members John and Nancy Medley, through a partnership with Thrivent, a financial service organization, donated $250 to help purchase school supplies that will be distributed at the carnival.
With a new school year beginning soon, she said that the church wanted to host an event that would be timely and help with back-to-school preparations.
“It’s going to be a great time,” Martin said. “Bring your kids, have fun and hopefully we’ll be able to do this for years to come.”
Visit the First Lutheran Church website or Facebook page for more information regarding the upcoming carnival.