FORSYTH COUNTY — Several Forsyth County elementary and middle schools will have new shoes, socks and sweatshirts awaiting students who may otherwise be without this fall, thanks to BB&T Bank.

Bank associates shopped, organized and prepared donation bags that were recently given to Forsyth County principals to be shared with their schools. The local branch’s donation was part of the entire company’s annual Lighthouse Project.

Each year, teams within BB&T choose local nonprofits to assist in their communities.

This year’s selection of Forsyth County Schools was sparked by Carrie Schwimmer, a bank official.

“During my Principal for a Day experience this year, I learned about several programs the school has to assist students in financial need,” she said.

“When the time came to select a project for this year, I proposed a partnership between BB&T and the school system to provide basic clothing items for the schools to give students struggling financially at home.”

Schwimmer added that the goal of the project was to help students while freeing up funds to be used on other programs.

“The teachers and administrators work very hard to make sure their students have the tools and resources they need to be successful,” she said. “This project was a way for BB&T to say thank you for all their hard work and dedication, and I hope the donation will help with their efforts.”