How to Donate Extra School Supplies

Wow, another school year is upon us once again and this means shopping time for most parents. If you live in a town like mine, then your child's school has a supply list for their grade level. Each year your child moves up a grade, the list grows larger and to be honest, in the economy we live in now, some parents really can not afford to purchase those items for their children. The school system does not pay our teachers enough money to provide everyone with the supplies. It is sad, yes I know, however as parents that can purchase these essentials, we need to rally together and donate extra school supplies to classrooms where there are kids that do not have anything. It is called being a good neighbor, helping out when you can, kindness out of your heart. Who knows, one day you could be sitting in the same position and they will be there to help you out! Just look at it this way, if we can buy extra supplies to donate to schools, maybe it will affect just one child's education and that alone should be incentive enough. OK, I persuaded you to pick up that extra box of crayons, now you need to know how to donate them. Here are a few steps and options on how you can go about doing just that!

- Call your local board of education and request a list of much needed donations.
- Your child may receive a supply list during orientation at school. This will be the list of items your child will need in the classroom. To donate more, act like your buying for two children. Double everything on the list.
- Your child may come home during the first week of school with a wish list from the teacher. This is the list of items she needs for her classroom, but does not expect you to buy them. This is a list for the parents who are looking to donate. Keep this list and after sending in the first round of items, send in those items again within a month. Trust me, they go through some wipes and disinfectant spray!
- If you do not have the money to purchase all the items on any of the lists that I have mentioned above for you to get, and if you don't it is OK, then you can purchase half of them now, and the second half at a later date. Any extra items is always great to have no matter if it is all at once or sporadically throughout the year.
- You could organize a classroom donation buy asking the teacher you are buying for to supply you with the list of parents names for the kids in the classroom. Contact them one by one, and ask if they would not mind donating a dollar or two to help with supplies for the classroom. Do not make it much more, because people tend to start freaking out once you pass the two dollar mark. If you have 20 parents in donating then you have either $20 to $40 to work with!
- You can be even bolder and get involved with the PTO or PTA at your school and organize a donation drive where everyone could either bring in a pack of wipes, a can of Lysol, a roll of paper towels. Make it fun and have their names added into a drawing for their items the donate to receive a gift card to a local restaurant! For example. A person who brings in a roll of paper towels will receive one entry into the drawing. A tub of wipes will earn two, and a can of Lysol (since it is the most expensive) will earn three. Have three different drawings for gift cards of $25 to a local restaurant!

To be honest with you the possibilities are endless. Just use your imagination and ask questions around your local school systems for more unique ideas!