Dear Friends, Summer vacation is here for the young people in our community.  While they are enjoying some time away from the classroom, we are thinking about the upcoming school year.  Starting the first week of August, we will be holding our annual Back-To-School Backpack & School Supply Drive.     This is one of our biggest and most important events of the year.  The start of the new school year can be exciting, intimidating, and scary.  It can be all of that, and more, for the students that may not have the much needed, and necessary, backpack and school supplies.     Most of the families in the Friends In Deed community already deal with the issue of making ends meet every month. Add in the new school year, and the expenses that go along with it, like new clothes and shoes for their ever growing children, fees for school programs and projects and a backpack and the essential items to fill it, and a family's stress level and financial concerns increase. Kids always compare themselves to other kids, and our goal is for them to feel confident that they at least have the school supplies they need for a successful and enjoyable new school year.  We count it as a blessing to be able to help so many by providing backpacks, already filled with school supplies, to children in our Friends In Deed community.     Of course, we aren't able to make this happen all by ourselves.  Every year, we come to you, our Friends In Deed supporters and family, to make the Back-to-School Backpack & School Supply Drive one of which we can all be proud.  Last year, we gave out almost 300 backpacks full of supplies to our Friends In Deed school-aged children.  This year we expect the number to be the same.  We hope that you will join us in this effort!   If you would like to contribute, here are some things to consider:  Backpacks should be sturdy enough to handle the rigors of a student's day and the crazy amount of books they heft around, especially for our high school students.   Please avoid all red and all blue backpacks The supplies needed are recommended by the Pasadena/Altadena area schools and the list is attached.  Please deliver empty backpacks and any supplies to Friends In Deed, by Wednesday, July 26, 2017.  We will fill them and distribute them the following week on Tuesday, August 1, Wednesday, August 2, and Thursday, August 3. If you have any questions, contact Tim at the Food Pantry: [email protected] or 626-797-6072.     Thank you for helping us to make sure the students in our community have a great start to their school year!   In service and with gratitude, Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater Executive Director Friends In Deed is a DBA of the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Congregations,  a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.   Tax ID: 95-1644608.  We respect your privacy.    __________________________________________________   Back to School Supply List 2017-18   3 Ring Binders - 1"- 3" (Prefer with Clear View pocket on front) Tab Dividers for Binders College ruled notebook paper (this is used more commonly than the "Wide-ruled" paper) Spiral notebooks Copy paper (for printing on computer) Composition Notebooks, hardcover Pens; red, blue and black Pencils, including #2 yellow 6-sided for younger grades; mechanical pencils Erasers Pencil-top Erasers Zipper pouch for pens and pencils (3 holed to go in binders) Dry Erase Markers Colored Markers (NO Sharpies or Permanent Markers) Highlighters, all colors Colored Pencils Sharpener for colored pencils (must hold shavings) 24 Colors Crayons (prefer Crayola Brand) 2 Pocket Folders (prefer poly folders) Student scissors (such as Fiskar) Rulers (metric & customary) 3" x 5" index cards Glue Sticks (many schools prefer the sticks to bottles of glue)   As you can see, school start-up is an expensive proposition for low income families. Thank you for easing that burden and assuring that all students get an equal start on their critical journey of education.