Supplier SHEPENCO, Inc. (PPAI 114083), based in Shelbyville, Tennessee, visited each school in its home county of Bedford in March in observance of National Pencil Day, and provided students with pencils to commemorate Hymen Lipman receiving the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on March 30, 1858.

SHEPENCO is looking to continue this initiative annually to help aid with the shortage of school supplies that many schools experience. More than 9,100 elementary, middle and high school students in the Bedford County School District received pencils.

Harris Middle School Principal Neil Watson says, “Delivering pencils to all of the students in our school and all of the schools in our district is a huge blessing. These No. 2 pencils are coming right in time for our Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) testing. We are very thankful for the Shelbyville Pencil Company and how they are uniquely involved with our community.”