St. Joseph of the Pines (SJP) ended its 2008-09 school year school supplies drive with enough classroom materials for 440 children who have been identified as possibly having difficulty starting school with the proper provisions.

In addition, the two-week long drive that encompassed St. Joseph's Southern Pines campuses on Central Drive and Camp Easter Road, raised almost $442 on top of the supplies donated by residents, associates and volunteers, and was met with more than a double match of $1,000 by the life care health system.

"For the fourth year in a row I am absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of school supplies collected at St. Joseph and, of course, equally overwhelmed by the check in the amount of $1,442," says Linda Hubbard, volunteer coordinator for Moore County Schools.

St. Joseph of the Pines' School Supplies Drive is an initiative by the volunteer services and pastoral care departments aimed at carrying out the mission of SJP to reach out to the community with programs and projects benefiting those in need. This latest drive for school children helps assure many youngsters will return to the classroom with a full and complete collection of supplies.

"It certainly does feel good to see all those supplies and know they are going to kids who really need them," says St. Joseph's Samantha Knight, human resources associate, who helped to carry the bags to the school system's education center in Carthage.

The new supplies collected during St. Joseph's drive resulted in a total of 980 crayons, 612 pencils, 288 pens, 60 spiral notebooks, 48 highlighters, 79 folders, 264 colored pencils, 29 bottles of glue, 3,750 sheets of ruled paper and a calculator, scissors, three-ring binders, book covers, index cards, jumbo markers, rulers, protractors and sticker set.

Hubbard targeted the supplies that came from SJP for distribution to the neediest of students in each of the primary, elementary and middle schools. Those supplies and the additional supplies purchased with the $1,442, will be packed in 440 backpacks belonging to the children in the BackPack Pals program, for distribution on Sept. 18.

BackPack Pals is a county-wide volunteer-run activity that assures children identified as not having enough to eat at home on the weekends, receive nutritious food in their back packs every Friday to last through Saturday and Sunday. St. Joseph associates participate in the program by filling the back packs of about 22 Aberdeen Elementary School children.

"The schools are so fortunate to have St. Joseph of the Pines as a supporter of its efforts to help children who need it the most," says Hubbard.

In the fall of 2005, St. Joseph's volunteer services and pastoral care departments co-sponsored the first school supplies drive on behalf of the health care organization. Of the money donated during the drive, $787 was given to Moore County Schools as the seed money for the BackPack Pals program.

"We are a mission-driven organization and as such, are committed to reaching out to the community in which we live and work to help those in need of the most basic comforts or resources most of us take for granted," says the Rev. Carl Naylor, director of pastoral care and mission services for St. Joseph of the Pines.

St. Joseph of the Pines is sponsored by the Sisters of Providence and is a member of Catholic Health East. It includes the Health Center, Therapy Village, Coventry, Belle Meade Retirement Resort, Villas at Pine Knoll, Overlook at Pine Knoll, and the affordable senior living communities of Providence Place.

Jeralie Andrews is the volunteer director at St. Joseph of the Pines.