It’s that combination of dread and joy: going back-to-school shopping with your kids: dread at the thought of not having your little ones at home all day; joy at the thought of not having your kids at home all day! Mostly it’s a time of excitement. Oh, the things they will learn! What their futures might hold! All made possible by the power of a good education.

North Church wants to respond to an urgent appeal from Church World Service for school kits, which provide children in impoverished schools, refugee camps and other difficult settings the most basic supplies needed for school. Each little mind needs the right tools to grow. So here’s an idea. While you are throwing what feels like endless folders, pencils, rulers and erasers into your shopping cart, why not add a few extra supplies to help another child. The summer school supply sales are beginning. Our goal is at least 100 bags!

To assemble a school kit you will need:

• One pair of blunt metal scissors (rounded tip)
• Three 70-count spiral notebooks or notebooks totaling 200-210 pages (no loose-leaf or filler paper)
• One 30-centimeter ruler (12″)
• One hand-held pencil sharpener
• One large eraser
• Six new pencils with erasers
• One box of 24 crayons (only 24)
• One 12″ x 14″ to 14″ x 17″ finished size cotton or lightweight canvas bag with cloth handles. (Please, no reusable shopping bags or backpacks.)

Other needs:

• Financial donations toward the shipping costs and to purchase extra needed items are needed as well. Checks can be made out to North Presbyterian Church with “School Kits” in the memo line.
• People to sew the cloth bags that will hold each kit. We have a pattern, instructions and fabric. Please see Ann Eisenlord if you can help. You can download the instructions here.