Project Back to School campaign starts Monday

As school registration begins Monday, so does the annual Project Back to School campaign that aims to provide children with the supplies they need to be academically successful.

Holli Diamond, The Salvation Army’s family services coordinator for Baker, Union and Wallowa counties, is busy arranging donation sites where items such as pens, pencils, notebooks and glue sticks will be collected.

Diamond will be on hand during the Parent Resource Fair to distribute empty backpacks. She also will take orders for backpacks that will be filled with supplies and distributed on Aug. 27.

Diamond said she handed out 96 backpacks (not yet filled) during the National Night Out Tuesday at Geiser-Pollman Park. She will have another 50 empty backpacks available during the Parent Resource Fair at Baker High School and will be taking orders for filled backpacks at that time. Another 90 will be filled and distributed from The Salvation Army office at 2505 Broadway St. on Aug. 27.

The fair continues from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at BHS where Brooklyn and South Baker students again will be registered.

Diamond’s organizational duties also extend to Union and Wallowa counties. She will make 96 backpacks available to Union County students. As of Thursday, one donation site had been established at Grocery Outlet in La Grande.

The Salvation Army will make 48 backpacks available in Wallowa County where Community Connection collects school supply donations to fill the backpacks for students in those schools.

Diamond has been coordinating Project Back to School for the past five years. As the economy has declined, so have contributions to the program, she says.

“Last year’s supplies were definitely down,” she said. “We ran out of notebook paper and folders.”

Diamond hopes people will keep the project in mind this summer as children prepare to head back to the classroom.

“I hope to get as many kids as possible supplies they need to start to feel comfortable their first day of school, and to move on from there to do well,” she said.

Those who would like to contribute school supplies to the project may donate them at drop sites in Bi-Mart at 700 Campbell St.; Rite Aid, 1217 Campbell St.; Ryder Bros. Stationery Store, 1735 Main St.; and The Salvation Army office. Lists of needed school supplies will be available at those locations, Diamond said. She will pick up donations on Aug. 23. After that date, contributions may be continue to be made at The Salvation Army.

Sheryl Maddox, receptionist at the Baker School District office, said she’s faxed school supply lists to Wilson’s Market, Safeway, Albertsons, Dollar Tree and to Wal-Mart in La Grande.

The lists also are available at the district office at 2090 Fourth St. and will be distributed during registration. After registration is completed, the information will be available in each school building, Maddox said.