COVID-19 prompts increased need for school supplies

     The Jones County Family Council, Community Partnership for Protecting Children, and Cedar/Jones Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) are partnering for the 17th annual “School Supply Drive.”

     From now until Friday, Aug. 7, school supplies and monetary donations to purchase additional supplies are being collected to support students throughout Jones County. School supplies will help benefit families with children in grades preschool through high school in the Monticello, Anamosa, Midland and Olin school districts.

     You can find a complete list of needed school supplies inside this week’s Monticello Express and Shoppers’ Guide. Some supplies include:

     • Backpacks

     • Pencil bags and boxes

     • Expo markers

     • Glue sticks and glue bottles

     • Loose-leaf paper (wide ruled)

     • Crayons (24 packs)

     Supplies can be dropped off at several area businesses throughout Jones County. Look for supply boxes at each location:

     • Monticello Express in Monticello

     • Journal-Eureka in Anamosa

     • Citizens State Bank in Wyoming and Oxford Junction

     • City Hall in Olin

     • Edward Jones/Shear Inspirations in Anamosa

     Financial donations can be mailed and checks made payable to the Jones County Family Council, P.O. Box 472, Anamosa, IA 52205.

     In 2019, Sherri Hunt, director of Cedar/Jones ECI, stated that over 225 children in Jones County received a backpack full of school supplies thanks to the generous donations. Also last year, the program took in just over $3,200 in monetary donations and through a generous grant from the McDonough Foundation.

     Families need to call the Jones County Family Resource Center at 319-462-5318 to sign up for supplies. You are asked to provide your child’s gender, the grade he/she will be entering in August, and whether they need a backpack or not. The supplies will be delivered to the child’s school district. Families do not have to show financial need to qualify for school supplies.

     “Because of the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and the stressors families are facing, we are anticipating needs to be even greater than in the past years,” stated Hunt. “By providing needed school supplies to children and families, we are hoping to alleviate this stress and provide students with needed supplies to get learning off to a great start.”

     A survey was conducted earlier this spring/summer in partnership with Jones County Extension & Outreach and area school districts. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents noted that school supplies for the upcoming school year was a need.

     If you have any questions about the School Supply Drive, contact Hunt at 319-551-3402.

Category:

Subscriber Login