The Salvation Army 7 Can Help Kids Back to School Backpack program, organized by The Salvation Army of Omaha (www.salarmyomaha.org), is here to help metro-area families afford the cost of new school supplies for their children in the midst of grocery and gas prices soaring to record levels.

Donations of new school supplies can be dropped off now through Sunday, August 7 at select Methodist Health System Urgent Care, Metro Credit Union, Cubby’s, and Salvation Army locations. Visit salarmyomaha.org for a complete list of collection locations. Donations can also be dropped off all day on Wednesday, August 3, at a special collection event held at Methodist Women’s Hospital.

Items needed include backpacks, spiral notebooks, erasers, glue, crayons, colored pencils, folders, pens, pencils, hand sanitizer, tissues, and rulers. Monetary donations that will be used to purchase new school supplies can be made at salarmybacktoschool.org. Backpacks and school supplies will be distributed to school-age children from 9 a.m. – noon and 1 – 3 p.m. on Friday, August 12 and Saturday, August 13 at The Salvation Army North Corps and The Salvation Army Kroc Center, as well as from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on August 13 at Westroads Mall in the parking lot north of JCPenney. Children need to be present with families to receive a backpack and school supplies.

For more information about The Salvation Army of Omaha, visit www.salarmyomaha.org.