Local groups help students in need

As parents are busy making sure their children have everything they need for when school starts next week, some local organizations are doing the same for students in need.

Members of Carson City's Soroptimist International delivered backpacks earlier this week that were collected through the Backpack Attack drive hosted by Platinum Plus Hair Salon.

The staff at Bauter & Holmes Dentistry have been collecting money and school supplies to deliver to schools later this week.

Food for Thought, a nonprofit that provides families with food over the weekend, is preparing for the return of students.

Superintendent Richard Stokes said support from the community helps the school district better serve its students.

"They are tremendous partners," he said. "Ever since I came to Carson City, I've been amazed with the generosity and the goodwill that individuals, companies and businesses have shown to the schools and the students. It makes me quite proud to live here."

For the fourth year, Soroptimists teamed with Platinum Plus, which has been collecting backpacks for eight years. They collected more than 300 backpacks, which they distributed to schools and motels, and more than $2,400 for supplies.

"There's such a need," said Pat Riggs, chairwoman of Soroptomist's Backpack Attack Committee. "We have so many children out there who are homeless, in transition or in foster care. They have enough problems, they don't need to add to it."

Shirley Oxoby, counselor at Mark Twain Elementary School, said the backpacks make a big difference for the children who receive them.

"It's not just about the backpack," she said, "it's about them looking the same. It's self-esteem."

Sue Kottke, dental assistant at Bauter & Holmes, came up with the idea for a school supply drive four years ago and the staff and patients have continued to support it. They've raised about $650 this year, and the doctors will match a portion of that.

They collect much of the items teachers require for students when they come to class: Pencils, paper, tissues and more.

"If it's on the list, then likely we have it," Kottke said.

The supplies are divided and given to the individual schools to dispense as they deem necessary.

"Because these supplies are so needed every year, the schools are so excited to get them," Kottke said. "We always get great letters back from the schools."

Food for Thought got its start in 2006. Founder Rebecca Rund ran the program, which discreetly provides students with food for their families over the weekend, out of her home. Last year, the nonprofit opened a 3,000-square-foot warehouse.

Since its inception, the program has increased in size, growing 99 percent last year alone to accommodate just under 850 students who would otherwise have little or nothing to eat while not at school.

"It's gratifying that we're able to step up, but it's heartbreaking that we keep needing to grow," Rund said. "And still, we haven't been able to accommodate all the schools in need."

She said they will begin this school year, using last year's numbers as a starting point. Once school officials know their population and the number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches, she said, they will have a better idea of how many students need to be served.

"Right now, we're just getting our ducks in order," she said.