BEATRICE - A southeast Nebraska assisted living community is looking to help area students and families with a school supplies drive.

The Homestead House in Beatrice is accepting supplies through the end of the month, before their Watermelon Day festival on August 3. Natalie Cardinal-McCranie is the life engagement director for Homestead House.

“We thought it would be fun to “stuff” a backpack so we could get the backpacks,” Cardinal-McCranie said. “Get the essential supplies, and we did look at some of the schools to try to find out what types of school supplies they were looking for.”

An assisted living facility may seem like a unique place to do a school supplies drive, but Executive Director Suzanne Gill tells News Channel Nebraska that a number of their residents are former educators, so it’s near and dear to the Homestead House.

“We have a lot fo retired teachers in our community, and I think during the course of their years teaching, they wanted to giveback to the community and give back to what they loved,” Gill said. “They were the ones who brought this up.”

Cardinal-McCranie echoes that message, but also says it’s a way for all residents to make a difference.

“They love feeling like they’re doing something for the community,” Cardinal-McCranie said. “It’s not always easy for them to get out and do things with the community,  but it’s that whole purpose of feeling like they are giving back to the community.”

The goal of the school supplies drive is to help the community. With prices of just about everything in stores rising, that includes school supplies.

“When school starts, it’s a big hit to one’s budget,” Gill said. “We all know how things are climbing in price, for them to get their school supplies, their backpacks, lunches, and clothes… We think this is a perfect thing for us to do at Homestead House to give back to the community.”