By Brittany Hanson/Garden Grove Journal
Some fortunate middle school students may be getting some extra baggage from Stanton.
And by baggage, we mean backpacks with school supplies.
The Stanton Community Foundation is working on a project to fill 725 backpacks with school supplies to distribute to grade 7 and 8 students.
The supplies needed by donators include, specifically, 12 number 2 pencils, one scientific calculator one red pen, two blue pens, four black pens, one 12-inch ruler, one 2-inch 3-ring binder and four single-subject spiral notebooks per backpack.
Any or all of these items can be donated.
And yes, they should be new.
“The idea for the project came from a meeting the foundation had with local school administrators,” said Matthew Rubi, from Stanton’s Parks and Recreation department, “The administrators let the foundation know that many of the Stanton schoolchildren were having difficulties in their classes because they did not have the proper supplies. After the foundation became aware of the need, the project was started.”
The backpacks have been purchased by the city with funds from a recycling grant and the goal is to get the backpacks to as many kids as possible.
Rubi said that the kids that would receive the backpacks would not be otherwise able to get the needed supplies.
“Financial hardships resulting from this economy can often make the transition back into the classroom a difficult one for students,” said Brain Donahue, city council member and president of the Stanton Community Foundation.
Donahue also said, “We want to help them have the right tools for success and provide them with the supplies they need to learn with confidence.”
The backpacks are going to be filled and distributed by school principals until the beginning of October.
Supplies for the backpacks can be dropped off at city hall, located at 7800 Katella Ave.
