Caring For Kids Seeks Supplies as It Gears Up to Send Kids Back to School

It’s only July, but Diane Formoso is already thinking about the first day of school.

Specifically, the supplies than her organization will give out to an estimated 3,000 students in the Clover Park School District before they had back to class on Sept. 7.

Backpacks. Pencils. Paper. Scissors. Glue. The list is long.   

Caring For Kids will host three back-to-school events this summer: the annual Ready to Learn Fair on Aug. 13 at , as well as events later in the month at and the .

Students from University Place and Steilacoom schools who receive free or reduced-price lunch are also welcome to attend the events.

“About 69 percent of our kids are on free and reduced-price lunch,” Formoso said of CPSD. “They do not have the resources they need to purchase the things they need to go back to school.”

Formoso said that per their schools’ classroom-supply lists, students ask for backpacks containing Kleenex and Purell hand-sanitizer, and, “it’s a small fortune. You have three kids, and that’s big bucks – and the schools can’t afford to provide it.”

And most importantly, she said, receiving new backpacks and clothes make the children feel good about going back to school – and they realize that people care.

“They feel like the commercials on TV where the kids are going back to school with their fancy $100 outfits and their $50 backpacks,” she said. “This gives them some incentive to feel good about going back to school.”

Formoso said that the items in highest demand this year are hygiene products – shampoo, conditioner and deodorant – new socks and underwear in all sizes and school supplies.

“But we’ll take anything,” she said. “Anything is fine – we’re going to do about 3,000 kids.”

It takes Formoso about 40 trips to purchase all of the school supplies they will need. She reads the ads carefully and goes where she can get the most bang for her buck.

Every child that attends one of the events will also receive a toothbrush kit including a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss, and Formoso hopes to give each family a large bottle of shampoo – they often get donations of hotel-sized bottles.

With the added pair of events this year, Formoso said they expect to serve more children than usual.

The Springbrook event, held in conjunction with the Lakewood First Lions, will be a celebration that includes food and craft projects. The Tillicum event is for students in the Tillicum/Woodbrook area.

Formoso said they chose that location because so many residents are unable to get to the Ready to Learn Fair at Lochburn.

“You have to take an automobile or a bike or a bus,” she said. “You can’t walk out of there.”

Formoso and her crew of volunteers have picked up unclaimed lost-and-found items from 21 schools in the last two weeks – more than 100 garbage bags of clothing that need to be sorted and washed.

While they are always in need of clothing donations, she cautioned that they do not have time to process many right now with the fair coming up.

Besides, she added, when they get “junk” donated – whether clothes or outdated food – it is up to her to figure out how to get rid of it.

Formoso said that one thing she will definitely take right now is backpacks. Once school starts, the school-supply bank lists start arriving from counselors and principals. She collects and drops off the requested goods at the schools. Any school employee can fill out a form on behalf of a student in need.

 “My biggest fear is that we’ll give out all of the backpacks and then there will be kids who can’t come to the Ready to Learn Fair,” she said, “and I will have to bring the backpacks to the schools – and not have any.”

Donations of new school supplies and hygiene products can be dropped off at the Clover Park School District’s Student Services Center. Volunteers are also needed to sort and wash clothes and set up and work at the Ready to Learn Fair, and are asked to contact Formoso at carekids@comcast.net.