Communities in Manchester have been added to Hope Gospel Assembly’s annual back-to-school fair scheduled for this Saturday, August 15 starting at 8:00 am.

In addition to the usual staging at the church grounds in Liguanea, St Andrew, the fair will also be held in Spalding, Melrose, Contrivance, Waldeston, and Greenvale, Rev Peter Garth, the church’s senior pastor, told the Jamaica Observer.

Now in its seventh year, the fair assists hundreds of children whose parents are facing economic difficulties with school supplies.

The event represents the church’s commitment to ensuring that as many Jamaican children as possible are educated.

Last year, the church awarded 220 scholarships to primary and high school students in Kingston and St Ann, and Rev Garth is pleased with the academic performance of the recipients.

“The good thing is that those who received scholarships so far have done well,” he said, adding that this year the church has received more than 500 applications for scholarships.

Garth estimates that the fair will assist at least 1,800 students this year, even as he has had a slight setback with the school supplies.

He said that, unlike previous years the school bags, which are donated from overseas, did not arrive with supplies. Therefore, the church will purchase the supplies and place them in the bags for delivery to the children and parents.

Garth said that the popularity of the fair has resulted in people lining up from as early as 5:00 am.