For the last couple of years we have had the great pleasure of being affiliated with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless. This affiliation came about through several years of participating with Holiday Magic. The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, through a partnership with Holiday Magic and Every Child’s Dream, will, once again, distribute backpacks and school supplies for more than 3,000 children in need on Long Island. Our friend, Greta Guarton, who is the executive director of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless stated: “the need for assistance is growing each year. We are grateful to members of the community who come together to help our less fortunate neighbors. These school supplies will help thousands of children go back to school with the tools they need to succeed.”
Although this is Keller Williams Realty Homes & Estates’ second year, this is the ninth year that LICH has conducted its “SOS: Supply Our Students” Back to School Drive. The first distribution will take place on August 26 with a Summer Festival for children in shelters organized by Backpack Pirates. “This event gives the children a day to learn and grow – a day to play on the beach, have a picnic,” said Ken Mangan, LICH Board member and an organizer of the Backpack Pirates event. “Many of them have never been to the beach or had new clothes or supplies for school. Thanks to our partners in the community, Backpack Pirates and LICH, these kids will start the school year more prepared and more confident than they have before,” said Charles Russo, Chair of LICH and co-organizer of the Summer Festival. “We are also tremendously grateful to the members of the Suffolk County Legislature, Astoria Bank, Touro Law Center and Long Island Board of Realtors, who have been supporters of our Back Pack Pirates event from its inception, and who will be collecting supplies for Suffolk’s children in need. We are also grateful to various libraries throughout our region, who have agreed to collect school supplies for our drive, and act as drop-off sites.”
There are only just so many children who can attend the day in the country event for Back Pack Pirates. For those who cannot attend we still venture to distribute the back packs with school supplies. The second half of the distribution will take place at the end of August. WE NEED YOUR HELP! The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless is seeking additional partners to help provide much-needed school supplies to children in need. Donations of new school supplies and backpacks will be accepted at the LICH offices, the offices of Keller Williams Realty Homes & Estates (400 Townline Road, Hauppauge), several offices of members of the Suffolk County Legislature and at certain libraries until the week of August 10. For information on other drop-off locations, please visit http://www.addressthehomeless.org. For information on how to become a drop-off location, or participate in our drive, call Keller Williams Realty Homes & Estates at 631-675-0770 or contact LICH at 516-742-7770.
PARTICIPATING LOCATIONS
The following locations are accepting school supplies on our behalf through August 10th. .
Nassau County
BALDWIN: SAIL
BELLMORE: Bellmore Memorial Library
FRANKLIN SQUARE: Child Care Council of Nassau
FREEPORT: Freeport Recreation Center
FREEPORT: Freeport Village Hall
GARDEN CITY: Long Island Coalition for the Homeless
HICKSVILLE: Central Nassau Guidance
NEW HYDE PARK: Hillside Library
OCEANSIDE: Oceanside Library
OLD BETHPAGE: FREE
PLAINVIEW: Eagle Rock Management
PLAINVIEW: Rosicki, Rosicki, & Associates
ROCKVILLE CENTRE: Lakeview Library
UNIONDALE: Hofstra Office of Student Leadership (260 Student Center)
Suffolk County
BRENTWOOD: TSLI/HHB
CENTEREACH: Middle Country Public Library
CENTERPORT: Office of William Spencer
CENTRAL ISLIP: Touro Law Center (PAC Center)
COMMACK: Commack Library
GREENLAWN: Harborfields Library
HAUPPAUGE: Hauppauge Library
HAUPPAUGE: Keller Williams Realty Homes & Estates
HAUPPAUGE: Russo, Karl, Widmaier, & Cordano
HOLBROOK: Office of William J. Lindsay
HUNTINGTON: Office of Steve Stern
HUNTINGTON STATION: Office of Lou D’Amaro
MELVILLE: Continental Home Loans
MELVILLE: LLoyd Staffing
MELVILLE: Zodiac Title Services
RIVERHEAD: Riverhead Free Library
SAYVILLE: Sayville Library
SMITHTOWN: Office of Robert Trotta
WEST ISLIP: West Islip Library (Sponsored by Office of Thomas Barraga)
Please use this link for further information and to link to the participating locations via Google Maps:
http://www.addressthehomeless.org/supply-our-students-drive.html
School Supply List
Three-ring binders (various sizes) and dividers
Folders with pockets
Looseleaf paper
Spiral Notebooks (1,2,3,5 subjects)
Book Covers
#2 Pencils with Erasers
Hi-liters
Colored Pencils
Fine line markers
Marble composition books
3 x 5 index cards
Pens
Glue Sticks
Elmer’s Glue
Scissors and safety scissors
Crayons
Protractors
Rulers (12 in with cm and inches)
Pencil sharpeners
Back packs and lunch boxes
Other Items Needed
New packages of socks and underwear, ages K-12
New shoes (school appropriate/sneakers)
New clothing (school appropriate)
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