Thanks to the generosity of many households in the congregation, elementary classrooms across West Seattle will be stocked with the supplies that students will need to start the new term.

Our Homelessness Task Force collaborated with the Pencil Me In For Kids campaign again this summer to collect basic supplies, plus we added small backpacks to the priority list for area Head Start students in need.

All told, the congregation gave 14 backpacks and enough supplies to fill nine large grocery bags. They included 502 pencils, 241 ballpoint pens, and 61 glue sticks. Two bags of supplies appropriate for high schoolers went to Chief Sealth and 33 boxes of Crayons went to Head Start. Teachers will stock their classrooms with our supplies, which avoids singling out some students as needing charity.

Cash donations totaled $735. The Pencil Me In coordinators will spend it all at Staples where they can buy in bulk at the best sale prices of the season.