Interfaith Works and Montgomery County Public Schools are collecting school supplies to fill backpacks for students in need.

“The school supplies drive provides thousands of students the opportunity to start the school year on a level playing field,” Marie Henderson, executive director of Interfaith Works, a local nonprofit that serves the poor and homeless in Montgomery County, said in a statement. “It also relieves a financial burden from our families who already [are] living on the margins.”

Tax-deductible donations and in-kind gifts of new supplies can be dropped off at the Interfaith Clothing Center, 751 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville.

The center is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The school system is seeking donations to sponsor-filled backpacks and new backpacks filled with supplies. The cost of each assembled backpack is $10.

Checks and supplies can be dropped off at, or mailed to, the Department of Family and Community Partnerships, 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 50, Rockville, MD 20850.

Checks should be made out to MCPS Educational Foundation with Back-to-School Fair in the memo line.

The hours for accepting backpacks and supplies are weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Needed supplies include: backpacks, three-inch binders, single subject notebooks, lined filler paper, tab dividers, pocket folders, colored pencils, highlighters, large markers, large pink erasers and glue sticks.

For more information about Interfaith Works or its School Supplies Program, visit www.iworksmc.org.