Collection for school supplies is organized by Harford County Education Foundation and will provide financially challenged Harford County students with needed classroom items.
For thousands of students this year, having basic supplies like pencils or crayons on the first day of school won’t be a given. Thanks in great part to the Harford County Education Foundation’s Tools for Schools Resource Center over $30,000 in supplies were distributed last year to financially vulnerable students in their home and in the classroom.
This is a huge support for educators who each year spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to to bridge the supply gap.
“When teachers at a Title 1 school have access to the supplies their students need to learn, that’s one
less thing they need to worry about.” said Deb Merlock, President of Harford County Education
Foundation. “Not only does the education foundation provide these essential supplies to Title 1 schools before the first day of school, we also operate a brick and mortar resource center year-round for teachers to shop for free to replenish these learning tools.
Harford County Education Foundation relies on donations and in person supply drives hosted by local businesses, educational institutions, and civic organizations.
“Helping a child start off on the right foot on day one builds their self-esteem and assists in their learning process,” said Amanda Janaskie, Education Foundation Board Chair and Product Owner at Exelon. “It is vitally important to equip every child with the resources they need to fully participate in learning starting on the first day of school and throughout the school year. We are grateful to the businesses and individuals who participate in our efforts to support every child’s academic growth.”
By donating to a centralized resource center, Harford County Education Foundation is able to maximize the number of students served by allocating resources based on need. It is by this method that the resource center can ensure each child is provided the right school supplies, and that no child in need is turned away due to a shortage of resources.
Items needed for the Stuff the Bus campaign includes:
Pencils (regular and colored), Pens, Markers (washable and dry erase)
Crayons, Highlighters, Sticky Notes
Blunt edge scissors, Protractors, Compasses, Erasers
Glue sticks and white glue bottles
Index cards, Composition notebooks
Two-pocket folders, 1 1/2″ binders, Binder Dividers
Zippered binder pencil pouches, Plastic pencil cases
Backpacks
USB drives, Graphing calculators (TI-83 & TI-84)
Plastic zip storage bags (quart and gallon size)
Tissues, Hand sanitizer
Collection sites for Stuff the Bus donations are located in the following Harford County businesses through September 15.
APGFCU
Aberdeen IronBirds
American Premier Realty
Beacon Staffing Alternatives, Inc.
Bel Air Athletic Club
Bel Air Orthodontics
Christ Fellowship Church
Coffee Coffee
Delmarva Insurance Group Inc
Edward Jones – Havre de Grace offices
First National Bank – Abingdon, Aberdeen & Bel Air locations
Freedom Federal Credit Union
Geo-Technology Associates, Inc.
Gold Medal Physical Therapy, LLC
Hamilton Service Center
Har-Co Credit Union
Harford County Government
Harford County Department of Emergency Services
Harford County Public Library
Harford County Public Schools – AA Roberty Building
Harford Mutual Insurance Group
Hopewell United Methodist Church
Kiddie Academy
Macy’s
MaGerks Pub
Main Street Cigar
Smiths Detection Inc.
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
The Arena Club
The Y in Central Maryland
Towson University in Northeastern Maryland
WAVE
Wesleyan Chapel United Methodist Church
Women of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
Learn about the many ways you can participate at https://harfordeducation.org/programs/tools-for-schools or make a donation at www.harfordeducation.org/donations.
About Harford County Education Foundation
Founded in 2004, Harford County Education Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit education organization that removes barriers from learning by providing tools to compliment the learning and growth of the 37,000 youth in Harford County Public Schools. The Education Foundation works in partnership with the community to bring critical resources to help students succeed in their academic and personal goals through free school supplies for low income students, grants to support innovative and enriched classroom instruction, early literacy, digital technologies, opportunity funds, and celebrating the education profession with the community.
