Free school supplies will be handed out Friday morning at three middle schools across Bibb County, just in time for the start of school.

Supplies will be available at 9 a.m. at Ballard-Hudson Middle School on Anthony Road, Bloomfield Middle on Bloomfield Road and Miller Middle on Hendley Street.

The supplies will be available first come, first served, said June O’Neal, director of The Mentors Project, which is coordinating the giveaway. Each school will have enough supplies for about 400 bags. That’s about 100 fewer bags per school than last year.

“That’s the best we could do this year,” O’Neal said. “I guess it’s the times we’re in. Phones have been ringing off the hook. The price of gas is high, the price of utilities is high, and a lot of people just can’t afford” new clothing and school supplies right now.

“I think we’re going to have a crowd of folks.”

Supplies collected through the Mentors drive are also being shared with a ministers groups that are scheduled for a giveaway at Appling Middle School on Saturday, O’Neal said.

Volunteers looked at the school supply list for elementary, middle and high schools and are filling the sacks based on what the students need.

“This is the basics,” O’Neal said. “This is what a child needs to walk into school the first day and start working.”

She said volunteers will be at each school about 7 a.m. Friday. If donors would still like to contribute, items such as crayons, pens, pencils, paper, notebooks and more would be welcome.

Thursday morning, about 120 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to students registering for school at the Bibb County school system’s Welcome Center on Riverside Drive.

The backpacks were donated to the district by the Feed the Children’s Homeless Education and Literacy Program.

School begins Monday in Bibb County.