MCPS Distributes 16,000 Pounds of Free School Supplies

Parents and nonprofits filled their boxes from the mountains of free crayons, markers, pens and pencils and Elmer’s Glue bottles that lined the tables at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville on Monday.

For the 14th year, Montgomery County Public Schools donated new and gently used school supplies to families, nonprofits and those in need. Students and staff donate things left in lockers and closets at the end of the school year. 

School officials said they planned to distribute more than 16,000 pounds of goods on Monday—3,000 pounds more than distributed last year.

Keba Brown, a mom from Silver Spring, perused the aisles of binders and filler paper. Her bag was already stuffed full of supplies. Brown has four boys—one in high school and three in elementary school.

“We won’t have to buy supplies now,” Brown said. “It will be helpful, especially with four kids.”

Nonprofits, parents and even a few teachers were there to collect.

Jeannie Parker, a paraeducator, said she was fulfilling the wish lists of teachers at her home school, Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg. She was on the hunt for pencils and binders—especially binders.

"I always give away everything I collect, so I guess there's a need," Parker said.

Jeffery Sejour, the associate director of International Action, was hoping to fill book bags with supplies for pupils back in Haiti.

Ever since an earthquake ravaged the region in 2010, his Washington, D.C.-based organization has been helping get supplies to impoverished areas. Sejour, a Hatian American, said he lost an older cousin to the storm.

He still has family in Haiti.

“When I go down there, I’m like a surrogate brother to them,” Sejour said.

Another Silver Spring-based nonprofit—the Jean Joseph Darbouze Foundation—was hoping to send basic school supplies to a Haitian elementary school. Allan Michel, a founding member of the nonprofit, said he was looking for some basic learning tools—flash cards for multiplication and the alphabet.

“We need a little bit of everything,” Michel said, as he filled his box with goods.