By Lisa Herrick
‘Tis the season for school supply shopping.
Schools have posted supply lists on their websites, sent out welcome back letters including the lists, as well as distributed the list of requested items to local stores. Having spent the last few weeks strategically reviewing sales flyers against my children’s school supply lists, shopping is time consuming and financially demanding. The long list for crayons, markers, pencils and notebooks is overwhelming. Even the cheery “Happy Shopping” statement at the end of the school supply list, while certainly well-intentioned is a daunting statement.
Sometimes school supply shopping is not a happy experience. Often families are faced not with which color of notebook to choose but rather if they can even afford the notebook. Returning to school and shopping for school supplies can be stressful or even a financial impossibility. Fortunately, in our community the Little Red Schoolhouse Project (LRSH) has made school supply shopping fun, pleasurable and financially possible.
The goal of the LRSH is to see every child start school with basic school supplies, a backpack, new socks and underwear, and an adequate clean coat. It is best known for its annual free Distribution Day, which will occur on Thursday, August 21 in its new location of Komachin Middle School. While thousands of volunteers and families convene for the one day extravaganza each August, two women have worked relentlessly year-round to make Distribution Day possible for the families in Thurston County.
Denise Hardcastle and Liz Kapust, both board members of LRSH have been instrumental to the success of the non-profit organization. Hardcastle, a board member since 2007, is a retired teacher from Komachin Middle School. “As a former teacher, it is my absolute joy to see children of all ages come to LRSH Distribution Day to pick out a backpack and get the school supplies they need to begin their school year successfully. It is the goal of LRSH to send every child back to school with pride regardless of their circumstances and on Distribution Day we are able to do that for thousands of children,” shares Hardcastle.
“In 2013, supplies and clothing were given to 3,384 students,” continues Hardcastle. “Providing school supplies, backpacks and coats to that number of students in our community would not be possible without the support of local donors such as Junior League of Olympia, Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation, and Capital Lakefair.
Hardcastle adds that MIXX 96 hosts Radio Day where people can drive or stop by with donations. Volunteers will be standing on the corner of State Avenue and Washington Street on Friday, August 15.
Kapust, lead of the school supplies section of LRSH has been collecting, organizing and distributing school supplies for LRSH since 1998. “I am amazed at how the program has grown in the sixteen years that I have been involved. The school supply budget in 1998, my first year volunteering, was only $2,000. Now that budget is $26,000. We could not serve as many people as we do without the generous support of Thurston County residents,” shares Kapust.
Kapust originally became involved with LRSH before having her two children, Ryan, 13 and Ella, 11. Kapust comments, “Ryan and Ella have grown up with LRSH and look forward to helping out each year. In fact, Ryan recently mentioned he wants me to be sure to stay involved until he is out of high school.”
Both Hardcastle and Kapust share that participating with LRSH has numerous rewards, including enabling many children in our community to return to school with pride, witnessing the incredible support and generosity of our community, and the energizing experience of working alongside so many caring volunteers.
And, some volunteers were previous recipients of generosity. Hardcastle explains, “Jessica Hill and her children have not only been on the receiving end of LRSH but believe in giving back by volunteering their time for a number of years. The Hill family arrives at the beginning of setup for distribution week and just dives right into whatever needs to be done. We know we can count on them every year as volunteers and we love their commitment to do their part for their community.”
LRSH is dependent on volunteers. Throughout the year volunteers from local churches wash donated coats collected from schools. Each year there are over 150 volunteers on Distribution Day. The past few years Meconi’s Italian Subs has donated sandwiches so volunteers have a healthy lunch to keep them fueled up for the busy day.
To learn more about the Little Red Schoolhouse Project visit their website or Facebook page. Distribution Day will be on Thursday, August 21 at Komachin Middle School from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The middle school is located at 3650 College Street SE in Lacey.
