Vermilion Chamber, F.U.E.L. holding school supply drive

With a little more than a month until kids head back to class, the business community in Vermilion Parish is working to assure the school year begins positively for all students.
The Vermilion Chamber of Commerce and F.U.E.L. Vermilion are conducting a joint school supply drive that will run through Aug. 13. The project is part of the Chamber Cares initiative, which includes a Toys For Tots drive later this year.
Megan Lalande, the incoming chair for F.U.E.L. Vermilion, spoke Tuesday to the Abbeville Kiwanis Club about the importance of the drive.
“We have so many students and teachers who start the school year off in Vermilion Parish lacking the necessities to move our children forward,” Lalande said.
School buses, albeit ones made of
cardboard, can be found at businesses across the parish. Donations can be made in Erath at Deaux Amis Salon and Gulf Coast Bank. Locations in Abbeville include Abbeville Chiropractic Clinic, Anytime Fitness and the Vermilion Chamber of Commerce office and Gulf Coast Bank. Anytime Fitness in Maurice and Kaplan State Bank are serving as the locations for those respective communities.
“We tried to spread them throughout Vermilion Parish,” Lalande said. “Any other businesses that want to participate, every little bit does go a long way.”
Suggested items include white glue, boxes of Kleenex, socks, backpacks, index cards, journals, crayons, Band-Aids, rulers, dictionaries, glue sticks, baby wipes, highlighters, erasers, pencils, three-ring binders, paper towels, notebooks, scissors, calculators, loose-leaf paper, pocket folders, Ziplock bags, markers, pencil sharpeners, Clorox wipes, color pencils, cardstock, hand sanitizer, and colored paper.
“Every little bit helps,” Lalande said. “If everybody donated $25 worth of supplies, just imagine what we can provide for our schools to make them better and more efficient.
“Spread the word and help us to help Vermilion Parish off to a great start for the school year.”