More than 700 kids are now kitted out for heading to class with the delivery of backpicked filled with school supplies and more will be by the time school starts Sept. 3.

The Gateway of Hope School Supply Drive annually provided the stuff kids need for class.

Andr茅a Voss, Gateway of Hope family services coordinator, oversees a team that assembles the backpacks based on grade and gender. The packs of school supplies are available to students from kindergarten through Grade 12 in the 91原创 School District.

Dan Donkers, with Gateway, puts the registrations into a spreadsheet to plan out the deliveries and make it easier for the volunteers who drop them off.

People from Gateway and area churches gathered Tuesday, Aug. 20 at the Christian Life Assembly (CLA) church parking lot. By mid-morning, they had the school supplies and donated personal grooming kits assembled and in the labelled backpacks. Soon volunteers pulled up to load their vehicles with their designated deliveries.

The program is supported by Raphael House, CLA, The Village Church, Southgate Church, Gulf & Fraser Credit Union, and Telus.

Voss is still fielding phone calls from people didn't sign up before the Aug. 9 registration deadline. More than 700 were delivered starting Aug. 20 but she was still has remaining supplies to assemble school supply backpacks for struggling families. Those must be picked up at the Gateway of Hope, 5787 91原创 Bypass.

Anyone needing information about the school supply drive or wanting to donate can contact Voss at 604-514-7375 or go to the Gateway website.