In keeping with our commitment to local children in need, ShareNet is planning the Back to School Supplies event, which serves anywhere between 125-150 kids annually with a fully loaded backpack.
This year, supplies will be distributed Aug. 27 from the Ed Moon Building at Bayside Community Church. Signups will be taken onsite only at ShareNet between July 29 and Aug. 19.
It’s the kind of event that sounds simple enough on the surface: let’s buy some school supplies and fill some backpacks. It’s not.
Like any successful event, it turns out there is a lot of advance planning, purchasing, and logistical consideration to address. Not least of which is the color and design of the backpacks to be distributed.
Naturally, recipients understand it is not going to be the same as choosing at the store, but all efforts are made to ensure nobody has to have a pink, purple, or Miley Cyrus backpack if they don’t want one. We learned this lesson one year when supplies were almost gone and volunteers could tell from a little boy’s crumpling face he was not going to be able to brave a pink backpack.
Most of the backpacks must be purchased well in advance since the amount of donations is always an unknown, but for this reason we suggest donations of backpacks as neutral in design and color as possible, no matter what’s on sale.
We’ve had some able event chairs over the years from the former American Marine Bank, Columbia Bank, Hill Moving, and the house churches of Kingston Alive Covenant, but in 2013 Crystal Gurney pulled out all the stops to ensure a successful event. Gurney made sure it was a community-wide event with a great marketing idea, a campaign for local businesses which stated “For every x item(s) donated, you could be entered to win …”
Each business donated whatever prize they could, from sandwiches to gift certificates. Each business posted a flier detailing the event, which cross-promoted every other participating business. 2013 participants were Flying Pickle, Borrowed Kitchen Bakery, Nancy’s Green Garden, Lucky Star, Kingston Chamber of Commerce, Subway, and Kingston Mail & Print, which comped all of the required printing.
Gurney also obtained a grant from Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary and participation from many local businesses. The Windermere Foundation has also assisted with financial donations, as have Caring Clowns International and Greater Kingston Kiwanis.
As many names as we try to name, inevitably we will leave an important contributor out. But that’s the key, everyone’s participation is important. If what you can contribute is a pack of college-ruled notebook paper or Ticonderoga No. 2 pencils, then we’re grateful and so are the kids who receive. In 2013, Gurney’s right-hand helper was her daughter Hope, who contributed almost as many hours as her mom.
In previous years, our main collection points for donations have been Kingston Credit Union (inside Albertsons), Columbia Bank, Rite-Aid, and Kingston IGA (now Kingston Food Market).
Every year, despite best planning, a last-minute flurry of donations and a percentage of no-shows usually leaves us with some extra supplies. Latecomers are accommodated as possible, and the leftover supplies are provided to local schools. In 2013, leftover supplies were provided to the schools and to Kingston Food Bank.
If you’d like to contribute, contact me at ShareNet or Crystal Gurney at 360-990-8901.
Supplies in demand
- College rule paper
- Pencils
- Composition books
- Black, fine-point Sharpies
- Kleenex
- Pencil pouches
- Child scissors
- Pink erasers
- Black, blue, red pens
- Glue sticks
- Mechanical pencils
- Highlighters
- 1-inch binders
- Page dividers
- Colored pencils and fine-tipped colored markers
— Mark Ince is executive director of ShareNet. He can be reached by calling 360-297-2266. ShareNet is located at 26061 United Road, Kingston. The food bank is open Tuesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The thrift store is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
