With school only a little more than a month away, the Albert Lea Salvation Army has begun its efforts to collect school supplies for students in need.

Starting Wednesday, bins were set out near the front of Wal-Mart and ShopKo next to the school supplies lists provided by the Department of Education.

Supplies for students in kindergarten through eighth grade will be accepted.

Salvation Army Capt. Lee Brickson said usually the organization sends a list of supplies out to the community asking for funds to purchase supplies. But this year, instead of donating money, people will have the chance to actually purchase the items themselves and then donate them.

“We’re hoping this will work more, so we can all be better stewards of our funds,” Brickson said.

What: drop off school supplies for area students in kindergarten through eighth grade

Where: Wal-Mart and ShopKo

When: donations will be accepted now through Aug. 18; backpacks will be distributed Aug. 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Salvation Army building on Court Street.

The program, called “Tools for School,” will go through Aug. 18. Supplies will be given out to families in need on Aug. 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Salvation Army Corps and Community Center on 302 Court Street.

In previous years, supplies had been collected for about 300 kindergarteners through sixth-graders, she said.

“We appreciate the generosity of our community,” she said. “They’ve always met the need.”

To sign up for assistance, Freeborn County residents can come to the Salvation Army building Aug. 12 or 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Applicants must bring proof of residency in Freeborn County — such as a recent utility bill or a phone bill — have registered in a Freeborn County school grades kindergarten through eighth grade, bring parental identification and fit within income guidelines.

For more information, contact the Salvation Army at 373-5710.