MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Young Women’s Auxiliary of the Sandy Grove Baptist Church hosted a “Back to School Block Party” on Saturday afternoon at the Mt. Olive AME Church.
Four hundred bookbags were given to children at the back to school event and the Myrtle Beach Recreation Centers also collected school supplies to be donated.
“It’s a bit crazy the number of people who show up,” said Vice President of the Young Women’s Auxiliary, Sandee Oliver. “I was pretty much raised in this community. I’ve been here ever since I was a little girl and I will see people that I went to school with in high school bring their children out to get bookbags.”
Football players from Myrtle Beach High School were there playing with the younger kids in the community and Myrtle Beach Police K9, Kelly, was a crowd favorite.
Oliver said the event started seven years ago but on a much smaller scale. The church originally gave out around 20 bookbags to kids in their congregation, but the event has grown every year.
“Every year we have a few people ask about other people they knew in the community that also needed help getting their children off to school. A couple years in we just decided to start asking other community members and the city for their help and it’s kind of grown into this huge block party and we’re giving out 400 bookbags now,” said Oliver.
Volunteers said this is a way they can give back to the community and hope to do an even bigger event next year.