Summer isn’t over yet, but local schools are coming back to life, and backpacks are starting to fly off the shelves.
Salem Reporter compiled a list of community school supply drives if you’d like to make sure kids in your neighborhood have what they need to be successful in classes this year. Aside from traditional school supplies, several organizations told us they especially need deodorant.
Many supply drives gather items for other nonprofits or give them directly to schools. Families who need help can contact their school’s community school outreach coordinator or counselor. Most school offices open the week of Aug. 12.
Some drives give supplies directly away to families in need. Those are noted below with details on when or where to get help.
Boys & Girls Club — Backpack giveaway
Any student entering grades K-12 can get a free backpack Saturday, Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at two Boys & Girls Club locations in Salem. Students must be present to receive a backpack.
- Knudson Branch, 1395 Summer St. N.E.
- Epping Homestead Branch, 3805 Lancaster Dr. N.E.
The organization has 2,200 backpacks to give away. Each backpack is filled with school supplies, family resources and dental hygiene kits.
Financial donations to the club, or donations of new school supplies are welcome.
Kroc Center — Collecting general school supplies
People can drop off new school supply donations in a bin at the Kroc Center, 1865 Bill Frey Dr., during normal operating hours. The bin is in the lobby by the front desk. Supplies are distributed to partner agencies.
CASA of Marion County — Drive for youth in foster care
Drop off new school supplies (backpacks, notebooks, crayons and more) for foster families at the CASA of Marion County office, 3530 River Road N. in Keizer, during business hours, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Aug. 16.
Supplies will be distributed through an event where children and youth in foster care can come “shop” the room of supplies. Financial donations can be made at www.casamarionor.org.
Drive for Hoover Elementary
Northeast Salem Community Association, one of Salem’s neighborhood associations, is collecting supplies for Hoover Elementary School.
A list of needed supplies for each student is below. People can buy whatever they’re able and drop it at the home of Teri Lupoli. Call Lupoli at 503-510-6759 to get the address or with any questions.
Supplies:
- Backpack – by itself, or filled with any/all of the following supplies
- 2 sets of crayons (24 ct)
- Colored pencils (12 ct)
- 12 Ticonderoga #2 pencils
- 2 pink pearl erasers
- 1 spiral notebook, wide rule
- 1 Crayola fine-tip markers (10 ct)
- 2 composition books, wide rule
- 4 glue sticks
- 1 scissors (pointed tip)
St. Francis Family Housing — Supplies for families in transitional housing
St. Francis is collecting donations through Aug. 23 of school supplies. The transitional apartment building helps families transition from homelessness back to housing.
Needed supplies: rulers, blue and black pens, glue sticks, markers, tissues, graph paper, 2-pocket folders, 5-tab dividers, 3-ring binders, scissors, multi-subject spiral notebooks and wide-ruled notebook paper.
Supplies can be dropped off at the office at 1820 Berry St S.E. People can also order items from St. Francis’ Amazon wish list.
Punx with Purpose — Hygiene items, youth outreach
Punx with Purpose, the organization that organizes the annual Punx in the Park festival, is seeking donations of supplies for youth.
Full-size deodorant and menstrual products are especially needed.
The organization distributes school supplies, hygiene items and other essentials to young people at the event and through regular outreach activities. Donations can be dropped off at Chronic Tacos in downtown Salem, Radar Toys on Northeast Lancaster Drive or Killer Burger on Kuebler Boulevard.
A wish list of needed items is here. Youth can get items and other resources at Punx in the Park, held Saturday, Sept. 14, at Marion Square Park.
Contact Hailey Hulsey with any questions at [email protected].
Operation School Bell — Deodorant and other donations
The Assistance League of Salem-Keizer’s Operation School Bell program supplies new clothes and hygiene items to students based on requests from school counselors.
Deodorant is especially needed and can be delivered to the Daue House Gift Shop, 1095 Saginaw St S., noon – 4:00 pm Monday through Saturday. Cash donations and volunteers to fill clothing requests and work in the consignment store that supports the program are also needed.
More information is available on the Assistance League website. Contact the Operation School Bell program directly at [email protected].
Teachers need supplies too
Many local teachers have classroom projects seeking money through DonorsChoose.org, which allows people to contribute directly toward buying supplies for a classroom.
Currently, local teachers are seeking donations to buy everything from new classroom rugs to art supplies and cameras for the school yearbook. You can browse all Salem and Keizer classrooms with active projects through the map here.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
