TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Hillsboro and Pinellas County organizations are again teaming up for their annual efforts to ensure students and teachers have what they need for their grade.
The Hillsboro Education Foundation and the Pinellas Education Foundation hold their annual Tampa Bay School Supply Drive. For more than 20 years, the organization has supported more than 200,000 financially disadvantaged students.
“66% of Pinellas County’s student population is having a free, reduced lunch,” said Kim Jowell, CEO of Pinellas Education Foundation. “They are considered low-income. When you think about those families, they have to put food on the table, they say when you think about those variables, you don’t have the extra income to spend on school supplies.”
Kim Jowell, CEO of the Pinellas Education Foundation, said the organization is enthusiastically gathering supplies and receiving donations. PEF has acquired school supplies equivalent to three or more school buses. They deliver it all to over 20 Need schools on Thursday and Friday.
The Hillsboro Education Foundation also collects and stores school supplies. However, their supplies will be stored in the Teaching Tools Resource Center, a warehouse that can pick up supplies worth up to $400 worth of them for students up to four times a year.
“Because we have the Teaching Tools Resource Center, we can get supplies year-round and we recommend that you donate year-round,” Shannon Boltz said. “We know this is a very high need this year. There’s economic factors involved and people don’t have the same amount of funds to spend on school supplies like last year. Maybe they’re asking their kids to use the same backpacks as last year.”
Shannon Boltz is the Chief Development Officer of the Hillborough Education Foundation. Boltz says that in July teachers buying supplies rose 200% compared to last year.
“It’s no secret that Florida teachers are low pay so I don’t want the burden to be put on them,” Boltz said.
The Hillsboro and Pinellas Education Foundations accept school supplies and donations all year round. Here is the list of the top 20 supplies you need most.
Backpack
Binder (1 and 2 inches)
Colored pencils (12 counts)
Composition book
Crayons (24 counts)
Eraser (cap and pink)
Glue (bottle and sticks)
Highlighter
Index Card
Marker (drying, washable & permanent)
Mechanical pencil
Notebook/Filler Paper
Paper (copy, construction, graph)
pencil
Pencil box
Pencil sharpener
Pocket folder
Ruler
Scissors
Spiral Notebook
Visit their website to donate.
