PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – You probably don’t think of February as the time to collect school supplies, but the founder of a local non-profit found students and teachers start running out of school supplies after winter break.
“Everybody gets school supplies in September, but people tend to forget about people come February,” said Mercy Drops Dream Center Founder and Chief Dream Officer Joe Friszolowski.
He said some teachers are even trying to fill the gaps themselves.
“We started seeing teachers here locally in the City of Portsmouth were reaching into their pockets,” Friszolowski said.
He wondered how he could, and that’s slowly where the idea of a winter school supply drive came together.
It’s the fifth year and this time the drive will be on the TCC Campus in Portsmouth.
“They will come through and drive through, and we will give those bookbags out, and the school supplies out to the children,” Friszolowski said.
The organization works directly with Portsmouth Title I Schools to make sure students who need it most get those supplies.
Friszolowski said the extras go straight into Portsmouth classrooms.
“All the rest of the supplies go to the teachers, so throughout the year, whatever they need or students need, they can go right to it and will have it,” he said.
While the organization has enough donations for this year’s event, Friszolowski said you can donate anytime, so they can get ready for next year’s drive. He said even monetary donations help keep drives like this going.
Click here for more information about the drive.
