Montgomery County Community Back-to-School Drive to Support Local Youth; Community Members Encouraged to Participate in Donation Drive

For Immediate Release: Monday, August 28, 2017

As the start of the school year approaches, multiple government agencies and community organizations are working to ensure that Montgomery County children have a “Smart Start” to begin the school year. To ensure that every child has a backpack filled with necessary school supplies, the community is asked to participate by donating schools materials and/or backpacks.

Donation drop-off sites are available at the following locations:

• Ashton Rehabilitation Clinic, 962 Wayne Ave., L-A, Silver Spring    11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Giant Foods, 13490 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring                    9 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Giant Foods, 2900 University Blvd., Wheaton                                     9 a.m-8 p.m.
• Michaels, 8661 Colesville Rd. Ste A. 104, Silver Spring                      9 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Red Lobster, 8533 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring                                    11 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Shoppers Food, 2201 Randolph Road, Wheaton                                   9 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring         9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Staples, 12389 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring                                           9 a.m.-8 p.m.
• Whole Foods, 833 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring                                      9 a.m.-8 p.m.       

School supplies will be accepted at donations sites through Thursday, August 31 at noon. The Silver Spring Civic Building will accept donations until 7 p.m. on August 31.  

The school supplies needed include: wide-ruled paper; pens; pencils; sharpeners; glue sticks; colored pencils; folders; rulers; highlighters; three-ring binders; index cards; pencil pouches; erasers; plain colored plastic folders; Crayon 24; blunt scissors; Mead Five Star Spiral Notebook College Ruled; Mead Five Star Pocket Folders; Assorted Colors; Mead Five Star Composition Notebook College Ruled, Bound; Mead Five Star Reinforced Filler Paper College Rule -3 Hole Punched and scientific calculators. Also, personal items such as hand sanitizer and tissues.

The back-pack distribution will take place Thursday, August 31 at 7 p.m. under the Pavilion of the Silver Spring Civic Center located at One Veterans Plaza, Fenton and Ellsworth Streets in Silver Spring. The event will include entertainment by local musicians, dancers, poets and special presentations. There will also be information and other items of interest by sponsoring organizations.  

The Montgomery County Department of Police, through a donation from the Montgomery County Police Foundation, will contribute 100 new backpacks and school supplies. The Montgomery County Police Foundation is a non-profit organization formed with the goal of supporting the Montgomery County Department of Police in the furtherance of its mission to work cooperatively with the community to enhance public and officer safety. The department is pleased to use some of these funds to support our County students as they begin the new school year. Officers will attend the event to help distribute all the donated items to the families with children in attendance.

The alliance includes: Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, Montgomery County Public Libraries, Montgomery County Department of Police, Giant Foods, Faith Community Baptist Church, Staples, Ashton Rehabilitation Center, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Michaels, Shoppers Foods, Safeway, Navy Federal Credit Union, Heart of Tabitha Foundation, T-Mobile, Whole Foods, and many other local faith groups.  

For more information about the event contact Daisey Thompson at 240-437-7217 or Delores McCoy at 240-708-6443.

Release ID: 17-439
Media Contact: Judy Stiles 240-777-6507