RANGELY I With fall and the start of the school year rapidly approaching, the Rangely Area Chamber of Commerce and Rangely Christian Church are partnering up for a creative venture in hopes of meeting the growing need for school supplies within the community.
“There are many people whose hours have been cut or people laid off, and we just want to be the church, see the need and try to lift a little bit of the burden off of parents,” Rangely Christian Church Pastor Shannon Brumfield said.
The groups plan to hand out various school supplies at a Back-to-School Carnival at Elks Park on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
The party will include all the major staples of a carnival: cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs and games. However, at this carnival, the prizes will be school supplies.
To help students feel more comfortable as they go back to school, free haircuts will also be available.
Rangely Christian Church will be providing many of the donated school supplies, however, the Rangely Chamber of Commerce is also seeking donations for supplies to be handed out at the carnival.
The chamber has donation boxes currently set up in the Rangely Town Hall, at the Rangely Library and at True Value Hardware, where school supplies can be dropped off. Donated supplies will also be given directly to the schools for distribution.
With school starting just nine days after the carnival, Brumfield is hopeful that families will take advantage of the carnival.
“We were not planning on doing this for a few years but we saw a need now,” he said.