Back to School donation boxes are ready to be filled

Donation boxes for clothing and school supplies are all over Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, including both city halls. Look for a large box with the school bus logo. Lists of things needed are in our Windermere article and PTA Council article.

The Shoreline Back To School Consortium

By Craig Degginger, Shoreline Schools

Behind the scenes this summer in Shoreline and Lake Forest Park there are volunteers, churches and local service providers working hard to gather school supplies so that every Shoreline student can start school in September ready to learn.

Nearly 30 percent of Shoreline School District students qualify for free or reduced lunch. For these families, school supplies are expensive and not every family can afford the basic supplies such a backpack, calculator, pens and notebooks. The Back to School Consortium – a diverse local partnership - helps fill this gap for those families in Shoreline School District who are living with a low income and/or experiencing circumstances in their lives that make it challenging to prepare their children for school.

On August 27, the annual Back To School Event will take place at the North City building. Each August for the past 10 years, the Shoreline community has come together to support local students and their success.

“This year we expect to serve a record number, about 1,200 students,” said Lisa Sharratt of The Works, a project of Shoreline PTA Council which supplies clothing to student in need. Each student receives a backpack full of age-appropriate supplies, new underwear and socks and hygiene supplies at the Back to School Event.

This year there are unprecedented needs, and the organizers have announced a matching grant which will double all contributions up to $10,000.

Donations of backpacks, school supplies, socks and underwear can be made at the Center for Human Services, 17018 15th Ave NE in Shoreline. Financial donations are also welcome. Other drop box locations include Shoreline Center, Shoreline City Hall, Lake Forest Park City Hall, Dale Turner Family YMCA, and area Rite Aid, Walgreen’s and Starbucks locations.

To register for the August 27 event to receive supplies, visit the Back To School Consortium website,  or call the information line at 206-393-4916. There are also opportunities to volunteer prior to or on the day of the event. Visit the website and click on “volunteer opportunities.”

In 2010, more than 1,000 students received much-needed school supplies and clothing at the Back to School Consortium event.

Back to School Consortium Members include the Center for Human Services; City of Shoreline; Dale Turner Family YMCA; Hopelink; Ronald United Methodist Church; Lake Forest Park Rotary; Shoreline Breakfast Rotary; Shoreline Community Care; The Works of Shoreline PTA Council; Shoreline School District and the Readiness to Learn Program; Turning Point; and The Vineyard.