Help us ensure that our CASA children start off the school year on the right foot – and with new school supplies in hand.

Many of the kids we serve won’t be going back-to-school shopping with mom or dad come August. In the fall, some of our children will start the school year at a brand-new, completely unfamiliar school because they've moved foster homes. All of them need school supplies to make the transition into the new year just a little bit easier.

Suggested donations include backpacks, composition and spiral notebooks, three-ring binders, writing utensils, folders, calculators, etc. All items must be new.

Besides physically equipping the children with backpacks filled to the brim, the school supply drive also provides children in foster care with confidence and some much needed excitement.

“A child in foster care is unable to focus on school or be excited about starting school like other youth may be because they often do not have the same level of support or preparation for the school year,” said Passaic County CASA Executive Director Erica Fischer-Kaslander. “By ensuring that they have proper supplies for their grade and class through our advocacy and supply collections, CASA is one step closer to ensuring a child has a chance at a successful, safe, and permanent childhood home.”

All school supply donations may be dropped off at the Passaic County CASA for Children office, located at 415 Hamburg Turnpike, Suite B1, in Wayne. Donations will be accepted through Friday, August 24. For more information contact Pam Saunders at 973-832-4002 or pam@passaiccountycasa.org.