Donate School Supplies to Help Students in Need

With back-to-school time approaching, many Arlington students look forward to purchasing school supplies and new clothes with their families. Not all families are fortunate enough to be able to afford these fall necessities, however.

That’s where Neediest Kids comes in. Neediest Kids is a local nonprofit organization that helps low-income students in 10 school districts, including Arlington County Public Schools, get the basic essentials they need so they can get the education they deserve.

“One-third of kids in the Washington, D.C., area receive free or reduced-price school meals, an indicator of poverty,” said Amy Ginsburg, president and CEO of Neediest Kids. “One of the greatest untold stories locally is how many kids in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. are poor.”

Through Sept. 17, Staples is partnering with national nonprofit DoSomething.org to collect school supplies for Neediest Kids. Neediest Kids encourages those shopping for school supplies at Staples to purchase some new school supplies for students in need and drop them in the Staples for Students collection box in the store.

Staples shoppers also can make a cash donation to the Staples for Students project, which Neediest Kids will use to purchase additional school supplies. All Staples locations in the school districts served by Neediest Kids are accepting donations. Visit http://stores.staples-locator.com/staples/ to search for area Staples locations.

Neediest Kids also welcomes donations of items—which should be in brand new condition—other than school supplies during all months of the year, not just back-to-school time. “We always need school supplies, winter coats, shoes, socks, underwear and deodorant for kids,” Ginsburg explained, adding, “There’s something so magical about getting a brand new winter coat or supplies.”

One way to acquire donations of items for Neediest Kids is to hold a coat drive or a toiletry drive, suggested Ginsburg.

Generous donations also make it possible for students in need of eyeglasses to receive eye exams and eyeglass prescriptions.

Interested in finding out more about Neediest Kids? Visit www.neediestkids.org for more information or to make a monetary donation. “We can turn $1 into $3 with the generous contributions we receive from our participating vendors,” Ginsburg asserted.