Our 2024 school supply free store was a success: 210 students are kicking off the school year with school supplies! With the support of our community, we were able to help over 70 more students from across the area than we did at last year’s event.
A huge thank you to the amazing students and families we met at the free store, our community partners at 185th Produce and the Aloha Community Farmers’ Market, our crew of intrepid volunteers and employees – and, of course, all of our incredibly generous school supply donors!
Monday, July 8th through Saturday, August 10th, 2024
Schools are out for the summer, but they’ll be back before you know it – and that means that it’s nearly time for a school supply drive!
While students can come to the library for free access to books, they need their own school supplies to excel in the classroom. Last year, we provided supplies to over 100 students, and with changes to the location and timing of other school supply distribution events, we expect an even higher local need this year.
To try and meet that need as much as we can, we are seeking donations of the following items:
- backpacks (regular size, no wheels)
- pencils (boxes of 24)
- pencil boxes/pouches
- erasers (white or pink)
- crayons (boxes of 24)
- colored pencils (boxes of 12)
- Crayola Classics markers (boxes of 10)
- blue or black ballpoint pens
- glue sticks
- primary composition notebooks (wide-ruled)
- plastic folders with 2 pockets
- 100-page spiral bound notebooks (wide-ruled AND college-ruled)
- college-ruled filler notebook paper
- 2” binders
- tabbed dividers (with at least 7 tabs)
- plastic pocket dividers
- kid scissors (blunt and pointed)
Order them from our Amazon wish list to be sent directly to the library, or buy them from your retailer of choice and drop them off at the library (or at 185th Produce or the Aloha Community Farmers’ Market, who are partnering with us as community collection points!) any time during open hours from Mon 7/8/24 through Sat 8/10/24. **Because our storage space and staff capacity are limited, please stick to only items from our list, and only new materials. THANK YOU!**
You can also send us gift cards to Amazon, Target, Walmart, or Fred Meyer, and our staff will take care of the actual shopping! Bring physical gift cards to the library service desk or mail them to:
School Supply Drive
Aloha Community Library
17455 SW Farmington Rd Ste 26A
Aloha, OR 97007
Or send digital gift cards to our Community Engagement Specialist at maggieh@alohalibrary.org.
With high costs for school supplies, kids and teachers in our community are counting on us. (Last summer, the National Retail Federation reported that families with children in elementary through high school expected to have to spend an average of $890 on back-to-school shopping; and last fall, the National Education Association reported that educators spend an average of $500-$750 of their own money each year on supplies their students need.) Your donation of a backpack – or a binder, or a set of notebooks, or whatever you choose to contribute! – will make a world of difference to a student who otherwise would have to go without.
Our school supply free store will be held on Sat 8/17/2024.
