Donate to the School Supply Drive 2012 in August

Donate school supplies for Salem-Kezier students during the month of August. Donation barrels are located at local businesses and community organizations listed below.

The fourth annual Salem-Keizer Education Foundation School Supply Drive is August 1–31, 2012.

Barrels to drop off donations will be located in over 55 businesses and organizations in Salem and Keizer, an increase from last year.

“Each year the drive grows with more participants, so we are confident we’ll beat last year’s drive, which netted over 167,699 items for kids,” said SKEF Executive Director Krina Lemons.

“The need is profound. We know that over 50 percent of our school children live at or below the poverty level. The School Supply Depot makes sure our counselors and teachers have a place to go to make sure their students have all the tools and materials to be successful in class,” Lemons said

SKEF and Salem Keizer Public Schools have teamed up to place barrels in such key locations at Roths, Starbucks (all locations), Kaiser Permanente, US Bank and Salem Hospital. Faith organizations are partnering again this year, with People's Church, New Harvest and Church on the Hill joining the cause.

SKEF will collect all the supplies in early September and begin restocking the depot, located at Walker Middle School. They'll be an ending celebration on September 5 at the First Wednesday Back to School Pep Rally downtown on Court Street (between Commercial and Front streets), just a block away from Where the Sidewalk Begins, a gift gallery benefiting SKEF.