Back to School Blast giveaway Aug. 3 in Marble Falls
Backpacks filled with school supplies line the Marble Falls Middle School gym walls at a previous Back to School Blast. The 2024 event is from 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3. All Highland Lakes students in prekindergarten through 12th grade are invited to the Blast, which gives away school supplies, shoes, haircuts, vision screenings, and hot dogs. Staff photo by Jennifer Greenwell
Backpacks filled with school supplies and more will be given away at the annual Back to School Blast, which is Saturday, Aug. 3, from 8-11 a.m. at Marble Falls Middle School, 1511 Pony Drive. The event is open to students from any area school district in prekindergarten through 12th grade.
The nonprofit event’s board raises about $40,000 each year to fund the giveaway. As of Tuesday morning, the event had raised almost $35,000, or around 87 percent of its goal. Donations can still be made online at Give Butter.
“If we go over ($40,000), we put it aside for next year,” said Back to School Blast board Chairman Jonathan Sultemeier.
In 2023, the Blast gave away nearly 1,200 backpacks filled with school supplies. This year’s expectation is 1,300 to 1,500 backpacks.
“This is a way for us to meet a practical need,” board member Nichole Sims said.
Sims and Sultemeier are both from First Baptist Church of Marble Falls, serve on the Back to School Blast board, and were on the air with KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune Morning Show host Mac McClennahan this week.
“We have a team of churches and vendors who help with this and who will be on hand to meet with the community,” Sims said during the KBEY interview. “We just want to say that we are here for you and we want to help you meet those back-to-school needs.”
Putting together a backpack full of supplies costs around $60 for each child in a family. The nonprofit does it for about $30 and gives it away.
Donations of $50 provide a backpack with supplies and a new pair of shoes, Sultemeier said. Parents must bring their students with them to receive backpacks.
Kids also have access to free shoes, socks, haircuts, and eye exams to prepare them for a new school year. They can enjoy free hot dogs and snacks after getting their supplies. Numinous Coffee will be serving coffee and lemonade.
Marble Falls Independent School District and Burnet Consolidated ISD campuses open for the 2024-25 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 14.