According to Community Partners of Dallas Board Chair Jennifer Evans Morris,
“This year Community Partners of Dallas (CPD) will host its 22nd annual Back to School Drive beginning Saturday, August 1 through Monday, August 31, 2015. Throughout the month, CPD, The Container Store and individuals and organizations throughout Dallas will collect new school supplies for abused and neglected children served by Child Protective Services, and will prepare more than 2,500 children to start school with school supplies and uniforms.”
“This is a great project for individuals, families and office teams. Every year we marvel at the creative competitions some of our corporate partners develop to encourage involvement and drive participation. Whether it is a donation of a single pack of notebook paper, or one that includes more than 20,000 supplies, every donation makes an impact when you set out to meet the needs of such a large group of children.”
“The Back to School Drive is one of the most important activities CPD does all year. Sometimes the only difference between an A+ student and a failing student is having basic supplies to do homework and participate in class. Because 69% of the children we serve at Community Partners of Dallas live on a family income of less than $14,000 annually, after the most basic of needs of the family are met, school supplies may not fit into that budget.”
“In addition to supplies, such as 3-ring binders, colored pencils, spiral notebooks, glue, markers and notebook paper, CPD especially needs backpacks (boy-friendly most needed), construction paper, rulers, red pens, manila paper, scissors and watercolor sets. For those interested in supporting the Back to School Drive, they can do so through in-kind or monetary donations. Donations of new school supplies can be dropped off at any Metroplex location of The Container Store during the month of August; supplies and monetary donations also can be delivered to Community Partners of Dallas’ Central Location, 1215 Skiles Street in the Wilson Historic District. For a full list of school supplies needed, visit www.communitypartnersdallas.org or contact Corinne Karp at 214.624.7588.”
* Photos provided by Community Partners of Dallas