By Sheldon Spackman

Tools for School program in desperate need of supplies

Aug 13, 2018 | 1:03 PM

With thousands of local students set to return to class in a few weeks, officials with Women’s Outreach in Red Deer are hoping you can help them assist children in need in our community.

In partnership with the United Way of Central Alberta, the annual Tools for School program is currently collecting and distributing school supplies for families with kids in kindergarten to grade 12 who otherwise could not afford their own materials.

Darcy Ouellet, Fund Development Officer with Women’s Outreach says it’s been a very tough year so far.

“Thursday we had to turn some kids away already that we didn’t have any supplies for those backpacks,” he laments. “On Friday, I went around to empty all the bins and in five bins not even a pencil. It’s pretty bare down there unfortunately.”

Ouellet reminds residents the Tools for School program runs year-round.

project will take one year

Construction activity to start on hospital parkade expansion

4h ago

Red Deer man charged after police locate stolen vehicle

4h ago

City and County to collaborate on regional economic development with NRED grant

7h ago

“We give out backpacks whether its families that are immigrating to the city, time of year, just need it now or they’re leaving a situation and they didn’t grab their school supplies,” he explains. “Obviously, the majority of the backpacks we give out are this time of year and I’m anticipating somewhere around the 21-22 hundred backpacks that we’ll give out this year.”

Ouellet says among the items most needed are binders, pencil crayons and markers.

“We just give the basics,” he explains. “The backpacks we give out aren’t 100 per cent full for what everybody needs but it’s probably 75 – 80 per cent of everything, so if we can alleviate a good majority of the cost for the families, unfortunately they will have to get a few things themselves.”

He says the need for school supplies seems to grow every year.

“We did right around 2,000 – 2,100 backpacks last year,” Ouellet recalls. “It was our biggest increase, we went from 1,700 to a little over 2,000 last year. I don’t see the demand going down at all but we’re just hoping to see the donations that we’ve seen in the past continue.”

If you would like to help, Ouellet says donation bins for the Tools for School program can be found at both Red Deer Walmarts, Staples locations and by the Parkland Mall Food Court.

“At Parkland Mall, 100 per cent of the donations come to us and then a portion of the proceeds from Gasoline Alley come to the program,” he explains. “For those ones what’s nice is I buy what I need.”

For families who might be in need of a backpack, Ouellet says the program is available to everyone in central Alberta but a proof of income will be required.

“There is an income cap to the program,” he adds. “They also need to provide Alberta Health Care cards for the kids that are coming in to get the backpacks.”

If you would like to help by volunteering and helping pack some of the backpacks to be donated, call the Women’s Outreach at 403-347-2480.

For more information on the Tools for School program, visit womensoutreach.ca.