I wrote this last year and felt it was worth repeating.
If you’re out and wandering through the back-to-school sales, consider making additional purchases. Toss extra ‘somethings’ into your basket that you can give to a school or a shelter for a deserving student. Here are a few ideas:
a beginning kit for a budding author (notebook, pen, pencil, eraser)
art supplies (watercolors, an art tablet and colored pencils)
student study aides (dictionary, thesarus, atlas of maps)
something for an athlete ( band-aids, shoe laces, a water bottle)
a tote or backpack, a pencil pouch filled with pencils
Think of how you feel when someone gifts you and you’re not expecting it! Your small, caring gift may be just what a student needs to begin the first day/week of school. It’s a first step into showing a students that you value education enough to step forward.
I suggest you wrap it in a clear plastic bag (so the person who hands it out can see the contents and give it to the appropriate child) and write a brief note, something like:
Welcome back to school! I’ve selected a few items to get you started. Enjoy your year! (signed, A Friend)
FYI: I discovered I could make a contribution at my Dollar Store’s annual back-to-school drive by selecting items and paying for them as I checked out. Of course I couldn’t add a note, but I know somewhere, children will enjoy the small white boards I gave to the effort.
Ready to do MORE?
Sign up to help in a classroom near where you live of work. An hour a week can help a teacher support 1, 2, 3 or a group of students. Your time is an amazing gift; even better than a box of crayons!
Let me know how you decide to help. I’ll share our list of ideas next month. Maybe we can all make this back-to-school donation an on-going idea as we shop.