The School Supplies for Students Drive is banking on a big year, thanks to a major sponsorship from Seacoast National Bank.

The sixth annual drive is organized by the Volunteer & Community Resource Center (VCRC), a program of United Way of Martin County, and relies on volunteers and donations to supply about 7,000 students countywide who are eligible for the free and reduced-price lunch program.

Seacoast’s involvement has expanded the number of collection points and added a strong volunteer effort.

Volunteer project – “Day of Caring,” 9 a.m. July 29, Martin County Fairgrounds.  As a volunteer project, employees will box up thousands of supplies and get them ready to be delivered to all Martin County schools. Employees will personally deliver the supplies to Hope Rural School in Indiantown.

Collection points -- Each Seacoast National Bank branch will serve as a collection point, gathering supplies from customers and employees:

• 815 Colorado Ave., Stuart

• 2081 SE Ocean Blvd., Stuart

• 11711 SE U.S. Highway 1, Hobe Sound

• 7000 SE Federal Hwy., Stuart (Mariner Square)

• 5755 SE U.S. Hwy. 1, Stuart (Cove Road)

• 3300 SE U.S. Highway 1, Stuart (Wedgewood Commons)

• 1000 NE Jensen Beach Blvd., Jensen Beach

• 4151 NW Federal Hwy., Jensen Beach

•  4392 NE Ocean Blvd., Jensen Beach (Hutchinson Island)

• 2601 SW High Meadow Ave., Palm City (Martin Downs)

• 1505 SW Capri Road, Palm City (Sandhill Cove)

“It’s part of our culture to support the community,” said Tom Hall, Seacoast National Bank’s executive vice president of Retail and Private Banking. “We also have so many employees who have children in the school system that a project like this is very important to us.”

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.

Of course, the “little red schoolhouses” that serve as collection bins are also at five Martin County libraries branches (Blake, Hoke, Cummings, Morgade and Hobe Sound) and the Martin Memorial Wellness Center in Palm City.

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.

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.

Monetary donations are also welcome to VCRC/School Supplies, PO Box 362, Stuart, FL  34995.

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.

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