Needy Students Receive Donated School Supplies

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

eb/backpack.pr 00-297pr

For Immediate Release: August 8, 2000

Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
Kate Harrison, 301-279-3077

NEEDY STUDENTS RECEIVE DONATED
SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Students at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School today received more than 500 donated backpacks filled with school supplies from Office Depot as part of the company's community involvement program. New Hampshire Estates was selected because 78 percent of its students are eligible for free and reduced price meals.

"Office Depot's generous gift to the students at New Hampshire Estates will make a real difference to those who face the new school year with a sense of dread because it is difficult for their families to find the resources needed to outfit the children for school," said Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan. "Thanks to Office Depot, New Hampshire Estates students will be starting off the new school year with the basics."

Office Depot is making sure that each backpack contains such essential items as pencils, rulers, safety scissors, glue sticks, composition books, crayons, and colored pencils.

"Office Depot is committed to being involved in the communities we serve," said Bill Morris, regional director for Office Depot. "As part of that commitment, each year we select a County in our Maryland/Virginia region to receive donated back-to-school supplies for underprivileged students, and this year we selected Montgomery County."

New Hampshire Estates is located in Silver Spring and is projected to have 511 kindergarten through second-graders in the fall. The school is served by the 'Linkages to Learning' program, one of the efforts that won the All-America city title for Montgomery County this year. Linkages to Learning provides direct services and referrals to children and families to break down non-academic barriers to learning, i.e., linguistic and cultural differences, lack of transportation and childcare, and access to pediatric and mental health care. The program also promotes family self-sufficiency and encourages parental involvement.

Last year, Office Depot donated backpacks to students in Fairfax County. The company has contracts to provide office supplies to the District of Columbia and most counties in Maryland and Virginia.

For more information about the Office Depot community involvement program, call Bill Morris at 1-800-890-4914.

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