READING, PA- The National Retail Foundation estimates parents will spend about $115 on average this year to outfit their children with the classroom supplies they will need for the start of the new school year. And that figure balloons to nearly $700 when the cost of clothing and electronics is added.
To help start the school year on an even playing field, the Olivet Boys & Girls Clubs teamed with Chick-fil-A at the Exeter Commons shopping center Friday to collect school supplies for underprivileged children.
The collection of back-to-school supplies will be distributed to the eight clubhouses and six 21st Century sites Olivet operates in Reading and Pottstown. Nearly 85 percent of the 3,000 children Olivet serves live at or below the national poverty level.
There will be more opportunities for residents to contribute to the cause.
The following locations will accept donated items, including pencils, crayons, notebooks, folders, binders, calculators, backpacks, tissues and school uniforms, through the end of the month: Freedom Toyota, 41 Industrial Drive, Hamburg; Lowe’s Home Improvement, 4535 Perkiomen Ave., Exeter Township; Salon Twenty-Two and Spa, 2135 E. High St., Pottstown; and Stone’s Hearing Aid Services, 51 E. High St., Pottstown.
Courtesy of: http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/school-supplies-collected-for-olivet-boys–girls-clubs