COLUMBIA – United Way of the Midlands is preparing for the upcoming school year with its fifth annual Ready, Set, Supply! school supply drive, collecting classroom materials for elementary school teachers across the Midlands.
The annual campaign benefits schools served by United Way’s Midlands Reading Consortium (MRC), an education initiative that promotes literacy and STEM learning in Richland, Lexington, Fairfield, Newberry, and Orangeburg counties.
“Not every student comes to school with the supplies they need, and teachers never want a child to go without,” said Danielle Tibbs, reading coach at Meadowfield Elementary. “The Ready, Set, Supply! Drive relieves not only the financial burden, but also the worry of making sure every student feels prepared from the very first day of school.”
Last year’s drive collected more than 8,000 school supply items, helping provide classroom materials to 10 schools throughout the Midlands.
Several businesses are participating this year by hosting workplace supply drives, including BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, SouthState, Absolute Total Care, Ritedose, and the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
United Way is seeking donations of commonly requested classroom supplies, including pencils, crayons, glue sticks, composition notebooks, notebook paper, copy paper, dry-erase markers, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, facial tissues, colored pencils, washable markers, index cards, sticky notes, folders, pencil boxes or pouches, and Ziploc storage bags.
Donated supplies may be dropped off at United Way of the Midlands, 1818 Blanding Street in Columbia, July 20–24 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Donors are asked to place supplies in banker boxes or printer paper boxes labeled with their name or company and “Ready, Set, Supply!” to assist volunteers with sorting and distribution.
Monetary donations are also being accepted to purchase additional classroom supplies.
For more information or to make a financial contribution, visit www.uway.org/readysetsupply.
