Red Deer's Outreach Centre in urgent need of school supplies

The school year is approaching quickly and the Outreach Centre in Red Deer and United Way Central Alberta are in urgent need of backpacks and school supply donations for Tools for School.  

Each year, back packs stuffed with school supplies are handed out to kindergarten to Grade 12 students in Red Deer and surrounding rural communities. In 2021, over 900 students were given supplies but this year the need has doubled.  

“We are running very short on supplies. The number of applicants has greatly increased this year, and everyday that number is growing. There is a significant gap between the number of students requiring backpacks and the amount of supplies that we have available,” said The Outreach Centre’s Executive Director Ian Wheeliker.  

Donations of backpacks and school supplies can be dropped off at The Outreach Centre or United Way. To read more about the program, view the list of needed school supplies, or to make a monetary donation online, visit The Outreach Centre website. 

“These donations are crucial for families with limited resources who can’t afford the necessary supplies their children need for school”, says Chelsea O’Donoghue, Chief Executive Officer of United Way Central Alberta. “When you donate to a program like Tools for School, you are helping to pave the way to success for these kids. They start the school year off on the right foot.”