VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – Non-profit organization Tillie’s Touch will be holding its yearly school supply giveaway at Ellis Field Park on Saturday, Aug. 28.
The events begin at 10 a.m. with a bounce house and the freedom to roam the park at 500 McCool Ave. in East Syracuse. There will also be lines for free haircuts as well as boxes of books and stacks of gently used clothing in children’s sizes that attendees can sift through. Lunch and dessert will be served around 11 in the morning.
At 1 in the afternoon, the organization will commence the free giveaway of backpacks full of grade-appropriate school supplies.
While it mainly caters to East Syracuse Elementary kids, the day’s presentation of items such as pencils, folders and rulers is open to those from districts other than East Syracuse Minoa.
“If a kid shows up and they need school supplies, I’m not gonna be asking which school they go to,” said Tillie’s Touch president Dale Johnson. “I made that a policy from day one.”
This approach stems from Johnson’s memories of his own childhood, when his mother would often struggle to scrape up the money for such supplies once back-to-school time rolled around.
He said he wants to show kids, especially those with a resentment toward school, that there are community members who wish to assist in starting off their academic years on a good note.
The upcoming four-hour event near Hanlon Pool was supported in large part by a fundraiser that took place at Trappers II Pizza & Pub on Aug. 7.
That fundraiser, which revolved around a pay-to-play volleyball tournament, was held in memory of the Minoa restaurant’s co-owner Aaron Wood, who passed away last October.
“He embodied what a business owner in the community should be,” Johnson said. “He definitely had a special place in his heart for Tillie’s.”
With the almost $7,000 raised that day, the nonprofit was able to purchase school supplies to supplement the ones left over from last year’s drive-through giveaway.
Saturday’s event, now in its dozenth year, has garnered additional support from Wegmans, Circle K, the ESM teachers’ union and other local residents.
Tillie’s Touch is still taking three-ring binders and spiral notebooks, which can be dropped off at Ellis Field Park the morning of the giveaway. The organization is also looking for an extra hairstylist to donate their time for the event.
Making use of the middle name of Johnson’s eldest daughter, Tillie’s Touch is a youth athletic program that helps to provide sporting equipment to Syracuse kids throughout the year.
