DESK Project offers students the materials they need for reading, writing and more
By: KLST Staff
Updated: August 13, 2007
Some students show up for their first day of school without the supplies they need. Teachers and administrators say often, that is not the students' fault.
“I think typically it's that they can't afford it, says Mary McGann, principal at
And that's where the DESK project comes in. Now in its fourth year, donations to DESK – or Donate Educational Supplies for Kids -- help assure that no student goes without the basics, from notebooks and paper, to pens and pencils, and more.
Already the DESK project has received donations of school supplies by the bag full and the box load. But they've also received more than $50,000 in cash donations. And sponsors say that means they can help more students at more schools than ever before.
“The really big thing this year is we're able to expand,” says Vicki Loso of 1st Community Federal Credit Union, one of the DESK Project sponsors. “We were just doing the elementary schools the last three years. This year we've expanded to the junior high, freshman and high school campuses. So it's a big deal.”
“I think what it does is give the parents a sense of relief,” says Mary McGann, “Because when they come in the door and say, ‘We haven't had a chance to purchase the supplies,’ or sometimes they'll say, ‘We can't afford to purchase all the supplies,’ we tell them we can help through the DESK Project.
Also new this year is the way schools purchase additional supplies with desk funds. Sponsors of the DESK Project presented elementary school principals with gift cards which can be used at Sam's or Wal-Mart locations. It's another way the DESK project is making sure that every student who needs school supplies gets them.
The DESK Project will continue to accept donations of school supplies or cash for the upcoming school year through mid September. Students who need supplies can contact their school counselor for information on how DESK can help them.
