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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, September 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 21, 2004 Volunteers from Campus Life stuff back-to-school bags for distribution at St. Vincent de Paul�s on North Pacific Highway. St. Vincent de Paul is one of several local groups that hold annual drives for school supplies for low-income families. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Tools for schools Supply drives help students receive what they’ll need to succeed By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune For Todd Teixeira, there’s no such thing as summer vacation, especially when the start of the school year looms mere weeks ahead. With five children between the ages of 7 and 14, the single dad from Ashland has to work even harder just to get the kids ready for class. "This time of year, I usually take on painting another house," says Teixeira, 43, who works for Corey Robbins Painting Co. and does private jobs as well. "It’s 1,500 bucks for school stuff." To ease the budget strain, Teixeira took advantage last year of an annual St. Vincent de Paul drive that helps low-income families afford school supplies. Advertisement "That was cool," he says. "It really helped me out. It was kind of hard last year because I was moving." This year, St. Vincent program managers expect to provide more than 1,500 children with the paper and pens, calculators and backpacks that help ease the path to knowledge. "It can make a great difference in a child’s reaction to school," says Bill Schueller, the St. Vincent de Paul director who has organized the supply drive for 13 years. On average, parents expect to spend $73.06 per child on school supplies this year, according to an annual survey from the National Retail Federation. That will be combined with an expected $219.46 spent on clothing and $89.32 on shoes, for a total of $381.84 per kid. For struggling families with multiple children, that figure can be impossible to meet. But for the kids, showing up without the tools others possess can dampen their enthusiasm for learning, Schueller says. Distribution of school supplies this year will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 30 through Sept. 3 at the agency site, 2424 N. Pacific Highway, Medford. "Every year, the line of people, they are around the building and into the parking lot," Schueller says. More than 750 children received supplies on the first day of distribution last year. By the time the hand-out was done, nearly 1,350 kids had bags packed with solar calculators, pens, pencils and other vital items outlined on the supply lists teachers issue each year. Cost for the program this year is about $31,000, says Schueller. That pays for about $45,000 worth of supplies, most purchased at a 30 percent discount offered by local Bi-Mart stores. Two trailers of supplies were unloaded at St. Vincent’s this week. Volunteers from local Campus Life groups helped sort and stuff back-to-school bags for distribution. The need for school supplies has increased steadily since Schueller started the program in 1991 with a single mother and a single child. "We’re being told our economy is turning around, but when you look at what’s happening with our kitchen and social services, it doesn’t ring true for us," Schueller says. The big pay-off for the school supply drive is in the eager students that parents like Teixeira send to school. "These are cool kids," he says. "They get good grades. They’re good kids." In recent years, the St. Vincent’s program has been joined by other school supply drives. Providence Medford Medical Center recently collected more than $900 for supplies for low-income schools in Medford and Shady Cove, says organizer Dee Kruger. Umpqua Bank will again join with the Mail Tribune, the Daily Tidings and the Nickel to collect supplies for distribution in all local schools, says organizer Ginnie Deason. To donate to programs, visit the bins listed in the accompanying box. To sign up for supplies from St. Vincent, bring income documentation to 2424 N. Pacific Highway, or call 772-3828. Drop-off sites St. Vincent de Paul, 2424 N. Pacific Highway, Medford. Most-needed items include wide-rule paper and spiral notebooks, pencils, pens, glue and washable markers. The Mail Tribune, 111 N. Fir St., Medford. The Daily Tidings, 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland. The Nickel , 832 Crater Lake Ave., Medford. Umpqua Bank: 250 N. Pioneer St., Ashland. 1780 E. Pine St., Central Point. 220 E. 10th St., Medford. 2400 Poplar Drive, Medford. 809 Stewart Ave., Medford. 4000 S. Pacific Hwy., Phoenix. 110 Pine St., Rogue River. 210 N. Pacific Highway, Talent. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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