Third "Set For Success" School Supply Drive Is On

City Councilor Kate Toomey and Susan Daly, Friendly House have announced the Third Set For Success School Supply Drive. It started on Thursday, August 14 and will continue through Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 6:00 pm.

They are collecting school supplies for kids in Worcester whose families need a little extra help with “back to school” preparations. They are asking everyone who can to help out by purchasing some school supplies that they can distribute to homeless or disadvantaged children and teens.

You can help these kids out by dropping off the following:
Pens, pencils, crayons, rulers, notebooks, highlighters, calculators, etc. and/or a backpack – you get the picture, the stuff any kid would need to get back to school.

Look for the yellow “Set for Success” boxes located at:

• Worcester Public Library, Main Branch, Greendale Branch and Great Brook Valley Branch
• Webster House Restaurant
• City Hall, Second Floor Lobby by the Clerk’s Office
• Worcester Police Department Lobby
• Worcester Fire Headquarters on Grove Street
• Congressman McGovern’s Office, 34 Mechanic Street
• Riley’s Restaurant
• Fiddler’s Green Restaurant and Pub on Temple Street

OR you can mail a check to them at:
Friendly House—Set For Success, and mailed to:
Friendly House
Set For Success
36 Wall Street
Worcester, MA 01604

Businesses and organizations are being encouraged to participate by holding their own drives. If you are interested, please contact them to register the location. They will help you by supplying posters and fliers.

Contact:
City Councilor Kate Toomey at 508-963-9315 or
Susan Daly, Administrative Assistant, Friendly House at (508)755-4362

Set For Success School Supply Drive
August 14, 2008 – September 12, 2008
Multiple locations – see above

From Kate Toomey’s announcement:
Last year, this successful program, through the generosity of individuals and corporations, enabled over 1,400 students to start the year off on the right track with the tools they need to do well in school. In addition to the students who were designated homeless, there is also a great need for support for students whose families may have a roof over their heads, but do not have the means to provide the school supplies and backpacks.

This program was also able, through the generosity of donors, to meet emergency needs during the school year when the request from a school principal was received at Friendly House to assist a student or family.

The Worcester Public Schools have identified a total number of 2,467 students officially designated as homeless according to State and Federal Guidelines. A significant number of these students, 654, are living in foster homes.

This initiative has become a critical component in ensuring children’s readiness to learn. Three years since the inception of this program, the needs are greater now than ever. The cost of fuel and heating oil are expected to have a debilitating financial impact on family income. Today, the choices between food, heat, and a roof overhead become more difficult, leaving little or nothing in the way of providing these necessary tools for the students, and public support is greatly needed.

We are most grateful to our partners in this endeavor, who have graciously agreed again to be collection sites for the supplies.

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