Volunteers of America Mid-States’ Back to School campaign provides essential school supplies to Clay County kids in need

The new school year is just a few weeks away and a local nonprofit is asking the Clay County community for support as they work to ensure the kids they serve have everything they need for a great year of learning.

Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA) serves families in need across the region. They help pregnant and parenting mothers overcome substance use disorder at Freedom House. Through VOA’s Family Recovery Court, they work to reunite families broken apart by addiction, and their Restorative Justice program offers an alternative to traditional justice systems by helping young people make amends for mistakes that could have a lasting negative impact on their lives.

VOA serves 40 school-aged children in our region and more than 200 across the state. Through their annual Back to School campaign, they provide the kids they serve with essential school supplies, clothing and healthy snacks so they can focus on receiving a quality education without worrying about these daily necessities.

Kelsey found sobriety at VOA’s Freedom House and with support from the community, she can continue to focus on her recovery journey and know that her sons, Camden and Carter, have everything they need for a great school year.

To join their Back to School efforts and support families like Kelsey’s, VOA is asking for gift cards to local retailers and school supplies including backpacks, pencils, folders, and more.

Donations can be dropped off at the following locations:

- VOA Recovery Community Center located at 48 Owens Rd., Manchester, KY 40962

- VOA Family Recovery Court located at 219 Main Street Manchester, KY 40962

- Walmart located at 240 Manchester Square Shopping Center, Manchester, KY 40962

- Dollar General Store located at 631 Hwy 80, Manchester, KY 40962

To learn more about VOA’s Back to School campaign visit https://www.voamid.org/back-to-school/ or contact VOA Director of Community Engagement, Trent Baker, at TrentB@voamid.org.

The image is of a Freedom House graduate mentioned in the story. The mother is Kelsey, and her sons are Carter, Camden and her baby girl's name is Aspen.