Ellen R.
It’s July, so you may have started seeing school supplies in store aisles! Yes, it’s that time again! For the past several years, St. Mary's has partnered with FOCUS to provide school supplies for children in need in our local schools. FOCUS is one of the best run charities in the country, using all donations for worthy causes with minimal overhead costs.
For the fifth year, we are donating supplies directly to Mason Crest Elementary, which is a Title I School in Annandale. More than half of the students receive free and reduced lunch and more than half are minorities. There is also a large percentage of students who are English language learners. Staff at the school have identified the most-needed supplies so ALL students are set up for a successful year.
We have discovered that the best way to support this project is to collect donations of money and use it to buy supplies in bulk. Last year, we collected almost $2,500 and were able to buy and provide well beyond the requested number of supplies. Let's aim to do well this year too!
If you are interested in helping with backpacks beyond donating money or have questions, please contact Ellen R.
There are three ways to make a donation:
- Mail a check to the church, payable to St Mary, with FOCUS written on memo line.
- Contribute in REALM and indicate that it is for FOCUS.
- If you attend services at church, put the donation in the collection plate in the narthex, payable to St Mary, with FOCUS written on the memo line. You may also use an envelope for cash and put your name and FOCUS on the sealed envelope.
Thank you for supporting this project! Please make donations before July 31.
