Donate: Help students go back to school

As the start of the school year nears, West Michigan organizations are working to collect back-to-school items for students.

The Marilyn J. Olson Guild at D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s is collecting school supplies for kids in need. It organization will provide at least 500 sets of backpacks and school supplies.

The organization is asking local groups to set out collection bins before the third week of August. When the bin is full, organizers will come to pick it up.

The campaign is requesting:

• Spiral notebooks
• Loose-leaf paper: 3-hole punched or wide- and college-ruled
• 2-pocket folders
• 1-inch 3-ring binders
• Pencil boxes/bags
• Pencils – colored and black
• Pens – red, blue, black
• Round-edged scissors
• Highlighters
• Rulers : 6” and 12”
• Erasers
• Glue sticks
• Crayons
• Colored markers
• Graphing Calculators
• Backpacks for children ages 3 to 18

Monetary donations are also accepted.

Call 616.451.2021 or go to the D.A. Blodgett-St. John's website to get involved.

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Lakeshore Backpacks for Kids is providing about 1,500 backpacks filled with supplies.

Backpack Distribution Sites:

Wednesday, August 15, 2012, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The Gateway Church, 1641 Pontaluna, Spring Lake MI 49461
Phone: 231.799.2141

Saturday, August 18, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Samuel Lutheran Church, 540 Houston Ave., Muskegon MI 49441
Phone: 231.722.7308

Thursday, August 23, 2012, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Lebanon Lutheran Church, 1101 S. Mears, Whitehall MI 49461
Phone: 231.893.5745

Thursday, August 30, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Mission for Area People, 2500 Jefferson, Muskegon Heights MI 49444
Phone: 231.733.9672

Children must be present with a parent or guardian to get a backpack.

Backpack distribution sites also offer a variety of resources including $2 haircuts, vision and hearing screenings, health and human services, and church-specific information. Each site will have some free food.

Each backpack and supply set costs about $10, organizers said, and $20,000 in donations is still needed. Donations can be made at the Mission for Area People website.
 
The six churches distributing the backpacks and Meijer Inc. provided support for the backpacks, along with Alcoa Inc., Betten Auto, Community United Methodist Church, Gerber Foundation, Greater Muskegon Women’s Club, House Foundation, Lake Harbor United Methodist Church, Mabrito's Motors LLC, Muskegon County Human Services, Muskegon Evening Optimist Club, Temple United Methodist Church, and Women’s Division-Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce.

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Amway's One by One Campaign for Children raises money to support a variety of education program across the world.