Vernon Township, other agencies collecting school supplies for needy students
As the 2018-19 school year draws to a close for thousands of students across the suburbs, some folks already are looking ahead to make sure kids have the basic supplies they need when classes resume in the fall.
Officials from Vernon Township, Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire and the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire are collecting classroom necessities and backpacks in which to put them.
Vernon Township residents who benefit from the agency's food pantry are eligible for the program. It's been organized by the township staff for more than 15 years.
Students feel left out if they show up to school on the first day but don't have supplies because their families can't afford them, said Nancy Urice, who oversees the collection as the township's food pantry manager.
"It's so important to start these kids off right," Urice said. "This way they're all starting on the same page."
Pencils, pens, three-ring binders, composition notebooks, spiral notebooks and pink erasers are just some of the many supplies being sought. Other requested supplies include glue sticks, zippered pencil cases, 12-inch rulers, tissues, crayons, colored pencils and protractors.
New or used Texas Instruments TI-84 graphing calculators for high school students are needed, too.
The full list of needed supplies can be found online at lincolnshireil.gov/sitemedia/documents/news/2019/2019_Backpacker_Club_Supply_List.pdf.
Donations can be dropped off by June 30 at these locations:
• Vernon Township headquarters, 3050 N. Main St., Buffalo Grove.
• Buffalo Grove village hall, 50 Raupp Blvd.
• The Buffalo Grove police station, 46 Raupp Blvd.
• The Prairie View Metra station, which is on Main Street north of Route 22.
• Lincolnshire village hall, 1 Olde Half Day Road.
• The Vernon Area Public Library, 300 Olde Half Day Road, Lincolnshire.
At the library, supplies can be left in two large, black buckets near the main checkout desk.
Library spokeswoman Catherine Savage feels the library is a great collection point for charitable drives like this one.
"It's important for us to know our neighbors, and it's important for us to care about our neighbors. and the library is the kind of public space where that can happen," she said.
At Lincolnshire's village hall, people have been leaving donations in a large collection box near the reception desk.
"Based upon the early response, it is evident there are many generous people in the community hoping to make a difference in a student's life in the coming year," Village Manager Brad Burke said.
Once the collection drive is over, volunteers will stuff the backpacks. The agencies collected enough backpacks and supplies for more than 150 students last year.
The goal this year is 170 supply-filled backpacks. About 120 kids already are registered.
"We always try to have a surplus," Urice said.
In addition to supplies, the township will accept cash donations and gift cards to stores where school supplies can be purchased. For more information, call Urice at (847) 634-4600.