A Year of Kindness - Challenge Week 32

This challenge this week is simple. As we are coming to the end of the Summer holidays/vacation and thinking about Fall and back-to-school, consider donating school supplies.

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Check your own stash of office and art supplies first - do you have multiples or more than you need of anything? You might be surprised at what you have stock-piled in drawers and cupboards. Lined paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, glue, rulers, index cards, highlighters, crayons, colored pencils are all welcome items in schools where not all of the children can afford to bring their own.

Next check the sales. Right now you can cheaply purchase basic supplies from any of the major office supply stores (Staples, Office Max, etc.) or major department stores (WalMart, Target, etc.).  For example, this week at Staples you can buy spiral notebooks for 17 cents each, rulers at 25 cents each, school glue at 39 cents each, a box of twelve pencils for 68 cents and a pack of index cards for 48 cents.  At those prices, a mere $5 can purchase a sizable stash of school supplies.

Many places will accept school supply donations at this time of year - our local food bank runs a drive for school supplies for area children. Some of the stores selling supplies will take your purchased donations and deliver them to area schools for you. You can also drop supplies off directly at schools in need. You may not get to see the smile on the face of the child who receives your donation, but you can feel good knowing that it will be appreciated and used!