Providing Resources and Essentials to Prepare Kids for School

Saturday, August 29, 2026 – our 11th annual event!

We want all kids to have a great start to the school year and reach their fullest potential! We believe, though, that children cannot meet their fullest potential in school if they and their families are struggling with basic needs. This event continues to fill a gap in our community, assisting families with one of the most expensive items for school – sneakers.  A well-fitting, proper sneaker not only boosts confidence but also enables children to fully participate in physical education classes and recess. All items we provide focus on kids’ health and overall well-being!

For 2026, we commit to serving 350 kids.

Event Information for Families

• For each registered child, we will provide a new pair of sneakers, a pack socks, and a pack of underwear, along with a toothbrush and a donated (used) age-appropriate book.
• For each family, we provide shampoo, soap, toothpaste, a packet of community resources, and snacks for school.
• The event serves kids from grades Pre-K to 12th grade from all school districts of Cortland County.
• Preregistration is required. We prepare an individualized bag for each child with their specific size of sneakers, socks, and underwear to ensure they have a good fit. Please check the sizes your children need prior to registration.
  • Upon successful registration, you will receive an email confirmation. Save your email confirmation. You may be asked to show your email on the day of distribution.
  • If you need to change sizes or information, do not complete a new registration. Email changes to prep@homercc.org.
• Items will be distributed at Homer Congregational Church on Saturday, Aug. 29 from 9 a.m.–noon.
  • Children do not need to be present at the time of pick up.
  • If transportation is an issue, a friend or family member can pick up on your behalf. However, due to the number of registrants and available volunteers, we are unable to deliver items to you. Please only register if you can reasonably plan to pick up the items.
  • Items are purchased specifically for the children registered to match their sizes. Failure to pick up items will forfeit your ability to register for the event in the future.

Registration

We have reached 350 registrations and have closed registration for 2026.

If you registered previously, keep the confirmation email for future reference.

Sponsor a Child

To sponsor a child, we ask that you commit to purchasing a new pair of sneakers, a new pack of underwear, and a new pack of socks. Sponsors will receive by email the child(ren)’s age, grade, shoe size, underwear size and favorite color.

We ask that you return purchased items to the church by Saturday, August 22.

You can drop off items at Homer Congregational Church during Sunday worship or during weekly office hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 am – 12 pm. Additionally, you can drop off items items at the church on either Saturday, Aug. 15 or Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9-11 am. If you need to make alternate arrangements to drop off items, email office@homercc.org.

When dropping off items, please put items for one child in each bag and label each bag with your first/last name and age/gender/grade of child. This will help us match up the items to the correct child.

Thank you for your support!

Donate

Want us to do the shopping? Preparing for our event is a year-round process, and we welcome your financial gift at any time! Checks, payable to Homer Congregational Church, can be mailed with “Back to School PREP” in the memo line. Or donate online via Tithely and in the notes section, indicate “Back to School PREP.” Thank you for your support!

2026 Event Donors and Sponsors

Thank you for helping give a child a strong start to the school year.  While Homer Congregational Church coordinates the event, it truly is a county-wide outreach effort, and we could not host it without the support of the entire community.