Do you remember going back-to-school shopping when you were a kid? No matter if you liked school or not, you were probably excited to get some particular item. Maybe it was a new backpack, new clothes, a new bike, or a really cool notebook. I still remember how exciting it was to go back to school shopping. As a matter of fact, I’ve been going “back to school” shopping it seems for almost 3 decades…if we are counting preschool, grade school years, undergraduate, graduate school…and of course shopping for other children who are more in need after graduate school. So for me, “back to school” shopping has been an annual event.
This year, I’m grateful to be able to shop for the children who reside at the Joshua House. Joshua House is a safe haven for abused, neglected, and abandoned children in Tampa Bay. Imagine if you were without your family and you relied on community support to buy your school supplies. Well…these children need our help! Our office is so excited to collect school supplies for Joshua House this year. We have a huge box just waiting for school supplies – please stop by our office during business hours Monday through Thursday before August 12th to donate school supplies – everything helps! Below are some ideas of what the children need:

  • Back Packs (especially for teenagers)
    Notebook/Filler Paper (wide and college ruled)
    Spiral Notebooks – wide and college ruled
    3 & 5 subject notebooks
    Composition Notebooks
    Flash Drives**
    Mechanical Pencils**
    2 Pocket Folders with Prongs**
    1″ & 3” binders**
    Highlighters (all colors)
    Tab Dividers & Report Covers
    Scissors – 7”
    Rulers
    Pencil Sharpeners** & Erasers
    Scientific and Regular Calculators**
    Graph Paper & Index Cards
    Markers & Colored Pencils
    Black, Blue & Red Pens
    Black Erasable Pens
    Post-It Notes**
    Glue & Glue Sticks
    Thesaurus’ & Dictionaries**
    Pencil Boxes & 3-hole Pencil Bags**
    Dry Erase Markers**
    Scotch Tape
    Sheet Protectors
    Mini-Hand Sanitizer**
    3-fold poster display boards**
    White Out Correction Tape**
    Compasses & Protractors

**These items are always in short supply