Karen Oestreich, left, hands off school backpacks to a family as Sharon Johnson sorts the piles by size and color. Over 700 Gillespie County students received new school supplies, their choice of backpack, haircuts and manicures, and a bottle of laundry detergent for their parents last Friday during the Hill Country Community Needs Council’s school supply drive. Contributions through June, July and August fuel this ever-enlarging project, Executive Director Cindy Heifner said. Groups, churches, individuals and businesses donated funds to purchase, or the supplies themselves (51,746 items), and also their time (642 volunteer hours), preparing and distributing each grade’s supplies for Fredericksburg, Stonewall and Harper schools. Heifner said each year, new volunteers and groups get involved and, almost all return to help the following year as they find it so rewarding. “We are ever so grateful to the entire community of volunteers and donors who support this program,” Heifner said. “My favorite takeaway from the day was seeing a little boy going into the second grade smile so big when I handed him his bag of supplies — and he politely said, ‘Thank you.’ That smile will be in my head for a while!” said one of the 36 volunteers who assisted the Needs Council staff with distribution. — Submitted photo