Our REAL Leaders had the pleasure of volunteering at the Red Apple Supplies store on Friday, July 19th. While any time is a good time to volunteer, summer is especially important as they gear up to supply local back to school initiatives with everything students will need to have a successful academic year.
Red Apple Supplies, a program of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, is a free teacher resource store that provides school supplies at no-cost in high-needs, Title I public schools. They support over 50 schools where 95% and higher of students come from low-income families and struggle to afford essential school supplies. Teachers shop for free supplies, all of which are purchased/donated by the community.
Our group worked on a variety of initiatives including packing backpacks with essentials for The Welcome Center and packing bulk supplies for two other local Back to School campaigns.
We were also thrilled to have donated over a full box of supplies, with the help of our employees and local vendors, to help stock their shelves. A special Thank You to Advanced Roofing and Shutts & Bowen who generously donated goods for this amazing cause.
Jennifer Ethridge, Director of Programs and Grants at the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, shared a heartfelt story about a child who’s life was touched by the Red Apple Supplies program. He kept wearing the same torn backpack every day, to the point that he and his teacher were stapling the straps together. The staples would tug at his shoulders, but it was the only backpack he had. Because of the Red Apple store, he was able to get a new backpack with supplies, no longer be teased by classmates, and continue confidently in his education.
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