Local school supply drive will aid children around the world
Last year, the Plaza-based store Baksheesh collected 522 school kits. Mennonite Central Committee, a nonprofit relief and development organization, put them together with others and sent 1,981 of the kits to children in Bosnia. Thousands more went to Afghanistan, Burundi, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Jordan and 11 other countries. MCC sent a total of 142,233 school kits for the year.
This year, school supplies collected at Baksheesh will go to Ukraine. Basic school supplies can make the difference between going to school and staying home. Baksheesh is collecting the school kits during the month of August at both its Sonoma and St. Helena stores.
Each school kit consists of a drawstring bag filled with specific supplies. People who want to help can get empty bags at either Baksheesh store, fill them and return them, or simply take the supplies to the store. Each kit must contain: four spiral notebooks about 8.5â x 10.5â 70-80 pages each, four unsharpened #2 pencils, one 12â plastic ruler with inch and metric scales, one large pencil eraser and one box of 12 colored pencils (no crayons please).
All school kits must have the same contents, so when they are distributed, each child gets the same things. When people donate additional items, Baksheesh will make sure they are distributed to other needy children.
School kits, supplies or cash donations should be dropped off at either Baksheesh store by Saturday, September 3, during store hours, which are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Baksheesh Sonoma is at 423 First Street West.
For additional information, contact Brian Smucker at 939.1687.
