The new school year is still several months away, but for thousands of local children in low-income families, the carefree summer months will soon give way to another worry: whether they will be able to keep up in school without the tools they need to succeed.
For these youth, whose parents struggle every day to make ends meet, essential school supplies can be vital to ensuring they are on equal footing with their peers when classes begin.
As part of its annual “Kids Need School Supplies” drive during the summer months, Hopelink is collecting school supplies to distribute to school children in low-income families to help ensure they come to school ready to learn.
Local donors – including companies, service organizations, churches and individuals – are banding together to collect monetary donations as well as a wide range of school supplies. In addition to Hopelink, other members of the School Supply Community Coalition (SSCC) that distributes the collected supplies include the Boeing Bluebills, Kirkland Interfaith Network, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Jude’s, and At Work!
Last year, the drive helped supply about 3,400 students with school supplies, and the goal this year is to outfit 5,000 youth in grades K-12. As families continue to struggle to get back on their feet during the economic downturn, the drive helps ensure that parents won’t have to choose between putting food on the table and buying such things as pencils and notebook paper when school is back in session. It also will help ensure that kids in low-income families don’t lose ground in their effort to build a future beyond poverty.
Supplies particularly needed this year are: large and small backpacks (no logos), three-hole punched and lined filler paper, college-ruled paper, printer paper, graph paper (in spiral notebooks), spiral notebooks, folders, 3 x 5 cards, colored pencils and red correcting pencils, markers, fine-tipped Sharpies, protractors, glue and glue sticks, USB drives, scissors, and rulers.
The Kids Need School Supplies program serves families that qualify for their school’s free and reduced-cost lunch program and are enrolled in the Lake Washington, Riverview, Skykomish, Snoqualmie Valley and Sultan School Districts. Families in other areas served by Hopelink in north and east King County are eligible to receive school supplies as well through different partnerships, and should contact their local Hopelink center for assistance.
For more information on making a donation of supplies or cash to purchase supplies, call Ashley Stokes at (425) 897-3710 or email: astokes@hope-link.org. Donations also can be made in person at any of Hopelink’s centers in Shoreline, Bothell, Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond or Carnation through Aug. 10.
Families in need of school supplies must register online by July 31 at: www.hope-link.org/get_help/school_supply_program or by completing a registration form, available at any Hopelink center. For more information on signing up, contact your nearest Hopelink center or email: SchoolSupplies@hope-link.org.
