United Way organizations collecting school supplies

Two area United Way organizations are planning school supply drives this week in partnership with First Day Project to help prepare area children for the upcoming school year.

United Way Quad Cities and United Way of Clinton County have announced separate events and are encouraging the public to help equip students. The events include: 

United Way QC

The United Way Quad Cities will host a Back to School Supply Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, July 27, at JB Young Opportunity Center, 1702 N. Main St., Davenport. 

Volunteers will be outside to collect donated school supplies, which will be distributed to schools in Scott and Rock Island counties. Items needed most include: composition notebooks, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, headphones, washable markers, colored pencils, crayons, pencils, pens, erasers, glue sticks, pencil boxes, rulers, scissors and watercolor paints.

These Quad Cities businesses and organizations are assisting in the school supplies drives: Bi-State Regional Commission, BITCO Insurance Companies, Blackhawk Bank & Trust, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Estes Construction, Gas & Electric Credit Union, Honkamp PC,  McCarthy-Bush Corporation, PCT Ebeam & Integration, Quad Cities Community Foundation, Russell, Rock Island County, Scott County Democrats, Sentry Insurance, St. Ambrose University, the Family Credit Union and Union Federal. 

Unable to drop off donations? United Way also is accepting donations with First Day Project online here. 

United Way of Clinton County

United Way of Clinton County will hold a Stuff the Bus event this weekend from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, July 29, and from noon-6 p.m., Sunday, July 30 at the Walmart in Clinton.  

New school supplies and cash donations are appreciated. All supplies collected will be distributed through Clinton County Schools and made available to every single student on their first day of school. 

The most common items needed for the students are: 24-count Crayola Crayons, dry erase markers and erasers, #2 pencils, spiral notebooks-wide, loose leaf paper-wide-ruled, pocket folders, pink erasers, scissors-adult size and glue sticks.

In addition, Clinton area residents will find many drop-off locations for school supplies around Clinton County. They include: Discovery Center, YWCA, Rust Barrel, 392 Café, The Sawmill Museum, Rival, The Observer, and Brent’s Coffee- DeWitt. The libraries in Clinton, Camanche, Dewitt and Wheatland also have been collecting supplies for the past several weeks. 

School supplies and donations also may be dropped off at United Way’s office, located above U.S Bank at 405 S. 3rd St., Suite 200, in Clinton. For more information, call (563) 242-1209.