Amid funding and first-day concerns, youths receive free school supplies in Germantown [gallery]

Students lined up along Germantown Avenue on Saturday morning as the 6300 Germantown Business Alliance and the Historic Concord School House held a fourth annual school-supplies giveaway.

Accompanied by parents and guardians at a time when school-funding and opening issues garner headlines, the students from K-12 received backpacks filled with folders, notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, a calculator and other classroom necessities.

A total of 150 backpacks were distributed on a first come, first serve basis.

The Concord Schoolhouse, built in 1775, is a complete nineteenth century schoolroom and is accompanied by a burial ground. Both were available for tours as families enjoyed the extra perk of dabbling in a piece of educational history.

In its annual back-to-school survey, the National Retail Federation found that families will spend an estimated $90 on school supplies alone this year.

Event co-sponsors included Elfant-Wissahickon Realtors/The Neil Kugelman Team, Trolley Car Diner and Historic Germantown.