Much-needed items will help area’s most vulnerable students
From staff reports
Through July 27, United Way of the Lowcountry’s Women United is collecting school supplies and donations for its Operation Backpack and Mimi’s Closet initiatives. Donations collected by members of the all-volunteer, women-led service group will be used to help Lowcountry students in need throughout the school year.
“We all know purchasing school supplies can certainly be costly, and many families in our community simply can’t afford the extra expense – especially this year as other costs have been rising,” Women United Chair Katie Phifer said in a news release. “If we all do our little part to help, we can make a big impact for the children in our community.
Women United’s Operation Backpack supports more than 1,000 students with donated school supplies and backpacks. These students are not being served by other agencies and are identified by school social workers.
This year, supplies and donations are also being collected for Women United’s Mimi’s Closet. This new educational initiative’s goal is to create supply closets stocked with donated items at schools throughout the Lowcountry to support ongoing needs.
Women United is seeking specific school supplies this year, including composition books; earbuds; pocket folders; boxes of gallon sized Ziplock bags; glue sticks; pencils; and colored pencils.
Donations may be placed in collections bins at eight locations in the Lowcountry:
– Beaufort-Jasper County Realtors, 22 Kemmerlin Lane, Lady’s Island;
– Bluffton Pharmacy, 167 Bluffton Road, Bluffton;
– Carolina Heritage Insurance, 92 Main Street, Suite C and at 22 New Orleans Road, Hilton Head Island;
– Cat Island Clubhouse, 8 Waveland Avenue, Lady’s Island;
– Dataw Island Community Center, 43 Marina Drive, St. Helena Island;
– United Way of the Lowcountry Main Office, 1277 Ribaut Road, Beaufort; and
– The Kitchen, 136 Sea Island Parkway, No. 5, Lady’s Island.
Information on making a secure online donation and sending school supplies directly to United Way through an Amazon Wish List can be found at www.uwlowcountry.org/schoolsupplies.
For more information on Women United’s Operation Backpack and Mimi’s Closet initiatives, contact Bethany Marcinkowski at 843-837-2000 or bethanym@uwlowcountry.org.
