BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A year ago, employees of Casco Products in Camp Washington teamed with a small social service agency in Northside to provide free school supplies for 300 students at three neighborhood schools. The agency has gone out of business, but instead of dropping the school supply drive, Casco decided to not only maintain the project but to expand it.
On Aug. 15, employees of the custom sewing and upholstery manufacturer will hand out $2,000 in pencils, paper and notebooks to students attending neighborhood schools.
"We couldn't let it die," says Charlie Bell of Casco's purchasing department. "We saw the need."
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IF YOU GO
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 What: Casco Products school supply give-away.
Where: Casco Products, 3107 Spring Grove Ave., Camp Washington.
When: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 15.
Miscellaneous: For students from Central Fairmount, Chase Intermediate, Heberle, Heinold, Kirby Road, Millvale, North Avondale, North Fairmount, Oyler, Quebec Heights, Roberts, Roll Hill, Roosevelt, Rothenberg, Schiel, Vine, Washburn, Washington Park, St. Boniface and St. Lawrence schools.
Information: Casco, 681-0003.
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Students are eligible if they attend one of 20 elementary schools in Camp Washington, Price Hill, Cumminsville, Northside and other neighborhoods near the plant.
Casco's next-door neighbor, a Cincinnati Fire Division fire house on Spring Grove Avenue, will conduct safety programs during the school supply giveaway. The Cincinnati Police Division will be represented by officers from the DARE program and bicycle patrol. Kahn's Meats will provide free hot dogs.
Many of Casco's 140 employees raised money with a silent auction and rummage sale. Those funds, coupled with employees' individual donations, were used to purchase the supplies.
The supplies are being sorted into school bags. Each child may receive one bag but must be present to receive it.
"We talked to principals. Some teachers came down to tell us exactly what supplies the students needed," Mr. Bell says.
Supply bags were designed for three groups: kindergartners and first-graders, second- through fourth-graders and fifth- through eighth-graders.
"The community has been very good to us," Mr. Bell says, "and we felt that it was important to give something back."
