More than 20,400 school supplies, including 8,648 pencils, 932 glue
sticks, and 591 new backpacks have been donated this year by area
businesses, service organizations, and individuals to help children in
need.
This is the tenth year that Communities In Schools (CIS) of Puyallup
has partnered with the Puyallup School District to coordinate a school
supplies drive during the first three weeks of August.
The retail value of this year’s donations is just shy of $30,000,
said Jan Mauk, executive director of CIS in Puyallup. Supplies were
boxed and distributed to schools districtwide before the start of
school.
“I continue to be amazed at the outpouring of support from the
community to provide basic learning tools that every child needs to be
successful in school,” Mauk said.
She continued, “As the number of students in poverty grows
nationwide, the need for community support in meeting their learning
needs becomes increasingly more important.”
Nationwide, 51 percent of public school students from urban,
suburban, and rural areas across the country are living in poverty,
according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
In Puyallup, more than a third (35.3 percent) of students enrolled
across the district last spring received free or reduced-price meals.
Several elementary schools reported in excess of 60 percent signed up
for the federal meal program available to low-income families.
“Imagine having six out of every 10 kids in a class qualify for free or reduced-price lunch,” Mauk said. “The need is great.”
Nearly three dozen businesses, organizations, or groups supported
this year’s effort by organizing a drive or offering to be a drop-off
donation site, she said. Several of the businesses or groups have
participated for all 10 years, while others have been consistent
supporters for at least the past five years.
The Puyallup Costco store, for example, has donated hundreds of
backpacks every year over the past decade. This year, the company
donated 431 new backpacks, as well as some binders, composition books,
erasers, pens, and mechanical pencils.
Red Canoe Credit Union has also been integral to the program’s
success, Mauk said. For the sixth straight year, the company coordinated
a “Fill the Canoe” school supply drive at its Puyallup locations and at
numerous businesses and organizations throughout the community.
The drive brought in nearly 3,600 pounds of school supplies this
year, and Red Canoe Credit Union matched donated supplies
pound-for-pound.
Countless other businesses have also supported the drive over the
years, Mauk said, including the South Hill Mall, City of Puyallup, Good
Samaritan Hospital, Washington State Fair, and Puyallup-Sumner Chamber
of Commerce.
In addition to the thousands of school supplies, other local
companies, faith-based organizations, service clubs, and individuals
contributed to the success of the drive by volunteering time to sort and
inventory items sent throughout the district.
People interested in donating additional school supplies throughout the year may contact CIS of Puyallup at (253) 840- 8917.
Read more on the district website about how CIS is partnering with
the community to help students, including providing bags of
nonperishable food items to feed families in need on weekends.