School supply collection drive
The Iola Lions Club and the Iola Lioness Club are teaming up with the Iola-Scandinavia School District and inviting the community to help them Stuff the Bus with school supplies on Aug. 12.
Stuff the Bus is much like a food drive, but school supplies are collected instead of food.
The school supply drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 12, in the parking lot of the Iola Sentry Store.
Supplies can also be dropped off at the Iola Sentry Store any time prior to Aug. 6. Cash donations are also appreciated.
All donations are welcome; specific lists of supplies by grade are available at the I-S Elementary School office.
“The donated school supplies will make a difference in the lives of our local children and will give them the supplies they need to be successful in school,” said Maggie Jones, project chairperson for the Iola Lioness Club.
Last year Stuff the Bus donations were valued at more than $3,000. The goal for 2017 is more than $3,200.
“The supplies will be distributed by our teachers as needed throughout the year,” said Stacey Wester, I-S Elementary School Principal. “Many students run out of supplies midway through the year, and these donations will be a welcome addition.”
The need is greater than one would think. As childhood poverty increases, it becomes harder and harder for families to find the resources to purchase the supplies needed to send their children back to school.
This is not just a big city problem. Statistics indicate that in the 2013-14 school year 43.3 percent of Wisconsin public school students were eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals.
Statewide, the estimated cost per child for school supplies in 2016 was $98.
The Iola Lions Club has 80 members and meets on the first and third Mondays of the month at Glacier Woods Golf Club. The Iola Lioness Club has 63 members and meets on the fourth Monday of the month at Silver Lake Lanes (April through October) and I-S Community fitness & Aquatic Center (October through March).
Lions and Lioness clubs are groups of men and women who identify needs within their community and work together to fulfill those needs.
For more information or to get involved with the Iola Lions/Lioness Club, contact Lion Dan Tap at 715-445-2583 or Lioness Alice Peterson at 715-467-2772.