The
United Way Volunteer & Community
Resource Center (VCRC) is
gearing up for its sixth annual
School Supplies for Students
Drive, with the trademark
“little red schoolhouses” going
out to collection points next
week.
VCRC
also has some exciting new
additions, which hold promise
for the drive making an even
greater impact on thousands of
Martin County children.
This
year, Seacoast National Bank has
become a major sponsor of the
drive, with a $5,000
contribution to VCRC.
Additionally, each Seacoast bank
branch will serve as a
collection point. And on July
29, bank employees will
volunteer to box up supplies for
all schools and will make
deliveries to Hope Rural School
and Warfield Elementary in
Indiantown.
Another new participant in the
drive is Coast 101.3 (WHLG-FM).
The radio station has asked its
advertisers to collect school
supplies, and on July 21 the
businesses will stuff the radio
station’s van full of the items
they’ve collected.
In
regard to an annual occurrence
for the drive, the little red
schoolhouses will be delivered
to collection points on July 7.
The schoolhouses will be at five
Martin County library branches
(Blake, Hoke, Cummings, Hobe
Sound, and Morgade) and the
Martin Memorial Wellness Center
in Palm City.
“We’re confident that with the
addition of Seacoast as a
sponsor and Coast 101.3’s
participation that this year
will be an even greater success
for the schoolchildren of Martin
County,” said Anne Lalley,
project coordinator for VCRC.
ABOUT THE DRIVE
The
School Supplies Drive serves
youngsters throughout Martin
County -- from preschool through
12th grade -- who qualify for
the free and reduced-price lunch
program.
Last
year, VCRC delivered more than
40,000 items to Martin County
schools, supplying about 7,000
students.
Collection will occur during
July, with distribution to the
schools being scheduled during
the first week of August.
Items
needed include pens,
pencils, pencil boxes, glue,
binders, two-pocket folders,
crayons, colored pencils,
markers, scissors, rulers,
erasers, notebook paper, subject
notebooks, and composition
books.
As
the time draws near to gather
the supplies for the next school
year, the community can help in
many ways:
*
Volunteer to sort supplies at
the Martin County Fairgrounds.
*
Plan a drive or school supplies
party at your place business.
Think along the lines of the way
you would handle a toy drive at
Christmas time.
*
Make a monetary contribution to
the drive. Please make checks
payable to VCRC/School Supplies
and mail to School Supplies
Drive, PO Box 362, Stuart, FL
34995.
*
During July, drop off school
supplies at collection points,
including the Seacoast branches,
the libraries and the Martin
Memorial Wellness Center in Palm
City.
For
more information or to
volunteer, contact
Anne Lalley, project coordinator,
at (772) 220-4472, ext. 232 or
alalley@martinvolunteers.org.
Information about the School
Supplies Drive and all VCRC
projects is available at
www.martinvolunteers.org.
