The Salvation Army Kingston Community Center, located at 35 Cedar Drive, is hosting a Back-to-School Backpack Drive, providing children and families with new backpacks and school supplies for the upcoming year.

Salvation Army Spokesperson Captain Frenie Antoine said they will host the drive on Aug. 17 from 1-3 p.m. and on Aug. 20 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., to provide families flexible times to get their backpacks. All Ulster County families are eligible to receive a donation by providing personal identification and identification for each child they are receiving supplies for.

The back-to-school drive is even more important, Antoine said, as the cost of living rises and the Salvation Army has recently seen an influx of people seeking assistance for the first time.

“We know that the challenges are real. We know that people are struggling,” Antoine said. “People who were doing fine maybe a couple years ago, but are now in need of a little bit of assistance.”

This year, Antoine said that Salvation Army partnered with Walmart, standing outside on July 31 and passing out flyers stating what school supplies they were collecting. Shoppers then bought supplies inside and donated them on their way out.

“This community is so kind, in just the way that people are willing to step up and assist,” Antoine said. “People have asked ‘How can we volunteer? How can we help?’ So, you do have the community who's ready to rally around and assist in any way that they can.”

The supplies in the Salvation Army’s current donation collection include notebooks, pencils, folders, glues, pens and erasers. On a nearby rack were dozens of backpacks ready to be distributed to students. Some backpacks have already been stuffed with supplies, but extra school supplies also remain available. More backpacks are also always needed, with donations accepted at the Salvation Army’s office Monday through Friday.

“When you're already struggling to figure out how you're paying the bills, rent and food, buying back-to-school supplies is an additional burden for the family,” Antoine said. “We want to be able to come in and fill the gap and just help. Because when kids go to school prepared — they know they have their backpack, their notebooks, everything that was asked for — they’re more confident and ready to get more excited about school.”