Press Event on July 28 Will Celebrate the Results of This Year’s Drive

The annual Drive for Supplies press conference and celebration will take place at Richard Montgomery High School on Monday, July 28, at 10:00 a.m. Among the scheduled speakers are Nancy Navarro, president of the Board of Education; Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools; Sean Eagan, founder of the School Supplies for Iraq project; Hilary Welch, president of the book project of the World Bank Family Network; and Quratul-Ann Malik, student member of the Board of Education.

Drive for Supplies is a program to encourage students to donate used, but usable, school supplies at the end of the school year when they clean out their lockers, bookbags, and desks. At the same time, it is an opportunity to educate students about recycling.

This year, 63 schools, along with several MCPS offices and outside businesses, participated in collecting supplies that included paper, books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and more. Many students earned Student Service Learning (SSL) hours over the summer by sorting, boxing, and weighing the donated supplies.

The project has grown steadily since it began in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in 2000. In 2007, supplies weighing a total of 9,016 pounds were collected for distribution to nonprofit agencies and county schools with a high number of low-income students. Drive for Supplies was formed in 1999 by Kevin and Louise Newcomer, founders of Learn Shop, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Wheaton, Maryland.

MCPS schools, individual families, and nonprofit agencies may pick up free supplies for students who need them at the Drive for Supplies celebration on July 28 at Richard Montgomery High School, beginning at 10 a.m. The school also will be open to distribute supplies from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on July 29.