This year Palm Valley Church's outreach project is to collect backpacks full of school supplies for over 540 kids in foster care here in the West Valley. When a child is placed in foster care, they often have to leave their possessions behind and a lot of their needed clothes, school supplies and personal items need to be replaced. The State provides families with a small stipend to help with this, but we want to help relieve this financial burden.
As soon as they made the announcement, I knew this was something I really wanted to do. Job or no job, I want this time we're spending in Phoenix to count for something and so every time we are given an opportunity to make a positive impact on someone else's life, I jump on it. (Also, I was one of those weird kids who loved going back to school and thought it would be so much fun to get to go school supply shopping again!!)
So, this afternoon I grabbed the list they gave us and headed out to Walmart. After finally locating where the backpacks are kept (a much more difficult task than you'd imagine) I had a choice to make. We were given two lists - one for K-5th graders, and one for 6-12th graders. What kind of child would I be supporting?? The age was kind of a no-brainer since the older students need about twice as much stuff and I couldn't really afford that. But should I get gender neutral supplies, or make something specifically for a little girl or boy? James thought I should go gender neutral since it's a donation and that would probably be easier for the people organizing it. But that just didn't seem very exciting to me. I remember one year my mom signed up for a program where you pay a flat fee and the school sends you a box of all of the school supplies your child will need. Of course, that was very convenient for the parents because it was cheaper and they didn't have to go fight their way through the crowds at the store in the month leading up to the first day of school. However, I remember feeling very disappointed when we opened our box because everything in there was very plain and I didn't like being one of the only kids in class who didn't get the chance to express herself through her school things. So, I figure if the point of this outreach is to help make these kids feel at home, I should get things that our beneficiary can be proud of. With that in mind, I set out to put together a special package for a little girl.
I had so much fun going through the aisles picking out cute, brightly colored things that will hopefully make her smile. Believe it or not, putting together a more personalized package of supplies really isn't that much more expensive (especially at Walmart). I picked out a two tone blue backpack that has enough space and stability to last for several years, and that is in a subtle, feminine style that will hopefully grow with her. Instead of getting the bare minimum on some of the necessities, I splurged a bit to make sure she'd have some nice things to use. For example, instead of getting the most basic package of 12 colored pencils, I got her a 24 pack...and instead of just getting a package of yellow #2 pencils, I got her some multicolored mechanical pencils with extra lead. (Even when I was in elementary school, I remember that you weren't cool unless you had mechanical pencils!!) The icing on the cake, however, are the folders. That was always my favorite thing to pick out because they have so many different colors and styles that allow you to really make a statement about who you are and what you like. So I got some very colorful, girly ones that are sturdy enough to last a good while. I hope she likes them and knows how much care was put into her gift! It's all about demonstrating the extravagant and personal way that God loves us after all. =^)
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