SANDPOINT — In 2002, Angels Over Sandpoint received a phone call asking if anyone could help about 30 kids get the necessary supplies for the upcoming school year.

"It's just grown from there," said Robin Hanson, Angels member and chairperson for the Angels Back to School program.

Now, with the Back to School program in its 15th year, the Angels handed out more than 800 bags of school supplies and backpacks to children from low-income families across Bonner County Tuesday.

"We're trying to increase that number," Hanson said. "We would love it if we could at least reach 1,000 kids.

More than 2,000 students in Bonner County participate in the free and reduced lunch program, which are the kids the group is trying to reach. Families sign up for the program through Community Action Partnership, then the volunteers gather items. Because families sign up ahead of time, the Angels are able to purchase the supplies for students by grade level, using the lists provided by the schools of needed supplies for each grade. The supply lists include many of the "basic" supplies, Hanson said, such as pencils, pencil boxes, paper, folders, protractors, compasses, markers, crayons and more.

On Sunday and Monday, Angels volunteers spent the mornings bagging up all of the supplies and organizing them for Tuesday's distribution in the Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School gymnasium.

With a program cost of about $30,000, Angels Over Sandpoint receives donations and grants for the program. The group partners with Staples to acquire the supplies, which they deliver in a "huge" moving van, Hanson said.

"Staples is a huge reason why we can do this," Hanson said.

This year, Hanson said, Angels also partnered with some people in Priest River and Clark Fork to save families a trip to Sandpoint to pick up the supplies they need.

"That's something we are really excited about, because Angels Over Sandpoint serves all of Bonner County," Hanson said. "Even know it says 'Angels Over Sandpoint,' we serve all of 7B, so we want our outlying families to get these services, too."

Since the order is made before the program's registration deadline is complete, there is usually some supplies leftover, which Hanson said are distributed to Bonner County schools. If a child is still in need of school supplies, she said parents can contact the school their child attends and see if any of the extra items are available.

Angels Over Sandpoint, a nonprofit public charity, is a grassroots, volunteer-run organization dedicated to helping those in need in the community. Since its inception in 1997, the group has put more than $1 million back into the community.

Families interested in receiving school supplies should contact the Community Action Partnership office at 208-255-2910 to register for next year.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.