Drive for Supplies is a program that recycles used, but usable, school supplies left in student lockers at the end of the school year and distributes them to children in need. To celebrate the successful conclusion of this year’s efforts, local officials, program organizers, and some of the recipients of the supplies will participate in a ceremony and distribution of supplies at Montgomery Village Middle School on Monday, July 22, at 10 a.m. Students and other volunteers will be recognized for their work in sorting and refurbishing the notebooks, pencils, backpacks and other items that have been donated - 286 boxes of supplies weighing 5,321 pounds.

Drive for Supplies is a collaboration between Learn Shop, Inc. and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). This year, 46 schools, along with several MCPS offices, participated in the program. In addition to sending some of the collected materials to school children in Ecuador and Panama, Learn Shop, Inc. will distribute supplies locally to nonprofit agencies and county elementary schools with a high number of low-income students.

Drive for Supplies not only teaches students the importance of recycling and reducing landfill waste, but also teaches students that they can have a direct impact on communities by giving reusable school supplies to local, national, and international schools and organizations.