Provided to The McDuffie Mirror

In what has become an annual tradition, many McDuffie County students started school with the right tools in-hand, thanks to McDuffie County Partners for Success.

"It was another great year for Pencils and Partners," said Miriam Smith, the executive director of the organization.

"When we say 'school supplies,' it means more than just a few free pencils and packs of paper," she said. "We make sure to get the list of school supplies for each school and then match the students to the school. We do our best to meet every need on that list, excluding some of the items like tissue paper and hand sanitizer that are meant for the entire class."

The organization partnered with Walmart for the first time for an event called "Stuff the Bus." Representatives from the organization spent two Saturdays in front of the Thomson store collecting items.