Free Salvation Army school supply event now collecting items

What you need to know:

• The Salvation Army is hosting its annual Back-to-School Carnival on Sept. 6 in Palmer, offering Mat-Su students free school supplies, games, food and educational activities.
• Organizers are asking the community to donate school supplies, food for the barbecue, or cash, and are also seeking volunteers to help run the event.
• The event aims to support families facing financial challenges, with expected attendance of 500 people.  

PALMER – Mat-Su students can receive free school supplies at the annual Salvation Army Back-to-School Carnival, and organizers are asking local residents to donate items.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Salvation Army building in Palmer. It will also feature games, a bounce house, a barbecue, fresh popcorn, and snow cones, organizers said. Members of the Mat-Su Fire Department will be present to teach children about fire safety and first aid.

School supply collection bins are now set up at Fred Meyer stores in Wasilla and Palmer. Donations can also be dropped off at the Salvation Army on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway between Palmer and Wasilla from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

Cash donations are also welcome, they said. Organizers are accepting hot dog and hamburger donations for the barbecue.

Salvation Army officials expect about 500 people to attend this year’s event. The carnival depends on community volunteers, and coordinators are asking for help, said Paul Bentley, a longtime Salvation Army volunteer who oversees the effort. Anyone interested in volunteering can call Bentley at 907-414-6358.

“There’s a big need for school supplies. It’s very expensive for parents,” Bentley said.

Dozens of families use the Salvation Army’s Mat-Su food pantry every day, and school supply costs add to the burden for many in the community already living on tight budgets, he said.

Bentley said he is also in talks with local barber schools to provide free haircuts at the carnival so students can look their best on the first day of school.

The event is sponsored by United Way and the LINKS Mat-Su Parent Resource Center. Bentley said other organizations serving families and children are invited to set up booths at no cost.

“We’re going to do this every year,” Bentley said. “It’s going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.”

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