The Hope Project Donates School Supplies

LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- It’s nearly time for kids and teachers to head back to school, and teachers at some local schools got some much-needed help.

The Hope Project shopped for items on teachers’ wish lists and donated them to several schools in the morning of August 31. Five schools received the donated materials – Bertha Hold, McKenzie, Awbrey Park, Maple and Ridgeview Elementary Schools. One of the schools that benefitted the most from this donation was McKenzie Elementary, which sorely needed the supplies after being devastated by wildfires two years ago.

“Here at McKenzie, we provide all supplies for our students. Parents don't have a list that they have to go shopping for, which is really great for families, but it also means that our budget is tight when it comes to supplies,” said Xochilt Diaz, a teacher at McKenzie Elementary. “I feel like by winter break I'm usually running out of things, so it's really nice to be able to get another set of paper, another set of crayons that I can pop out and keep supplies fresh for kids so that they've got quality learning materials.”

The Hope Project also provided some clothes for kids such as shoes, socks, underwear and bike helmets as well as breakfast and coffee for the teachers. Approximately $30,000 was spent from donors in the community. Ken Brown, the executive Director of the Hope Project, says the donations will help set up schools and teachers for success.

“We just wanted to really build those teachers up and kind of set them up for success if we could,” he said. “We understand the perils of teaching, and we also understand that teachers are going away and we really want them to feel good about being a teacher again.”