Submitted by Diane Formoso.
Wow! August was very busy getting ready for school. Our three Ready to Learn Fairs helped over 1,400 kids in need with school supplies, hygiene products, new and good used clothing, vaccinations and Covid shots by the Health Department, 200 bike helmets by West Pierce Fire and 157 haircuts by Clover Park Technical College students and community volunteers.
It took a day again to get organized for packing emergency backpacks for pickup by the schools. In the first three days we packed and distributes 350 filled backpacks. We totaled over 500!
So far we have received requests for 108 clothing bank orders. Full orders consist of 3 pairs of new pants, 3 new shirts, new pair of shoes and a new coat. Socks and underwear are also available. Shopping for enough clothing is the difficult part of the job.
Emergency food packs and school supplies continue to be in high need.
We ordered 2 pallets of books from First Book. The two pallets cost $1,276.00. The value per pallet is about $15,000. We have only received one. The other is still lost in transport.
Lakewood Target gave us 5 pallets of school supplies. There were mostly composition books and folders. We have managed to give out 3,500 composition books to the schools and local organizations that work with kids. Five hundred went to Clover Park Technical College.
The Holiday Fair will be held on December 10th. We will be sending out paperwork for 800 families. It will be held at Thomas Middle School, with setup on the 9th. Each school will have a team to pick up their families’ orders once they are completed. Our biggest problem will be getting 800 hams to give out to the families.
Preparation for our Happy Hearts Auction is also on our to do list. It will be held at Clover Park Technical College McGavick Center on February 11th. We are looking for donations of live and silent auction items. Never a dull moment!
“Never a dull moment!” A gross understatement. Diane Formoso is seemingly a whirlwind of energy. I have marveled for years at her accomplishments, supporting one of the underlying tenets of our country too often forgotten by our political system, as stated in the preamble to the constitution, “ . . . promote the general Welfare.” Thank you, Diane.