For the fifth year, WRAL-TV will partner with Communities In Schools to collect school supplies for students who need them.   School Stuff, part of WRAL’s For the Children campaign, begins Monday, August 1 when collection barrels will appear in participating The UPS Store locations in Wake, Orange, Durham, Johnston, Harnett, Cumberland, Wayne, Halifax, Nash, Lee, Moore, Wilson, Robeson and Scotland counties.

For the entire month of August, WRAL and Communities In Schools are asking the public to donate new school supplies including binders, notebooks, pens, pencils, paper and folders to help prepare a child for the school year.

“Many students in our community don’t have the means to buy the school supplies they need.  In many cases, teachers end up buying these supplies.  With the School Stuff campaign, we hope to relieve teachers of this burden and give students the tools they need to be successful in the classroom,” said Mike Stephens, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Communities In Schools of North Carolina.

Anyone who would like more information about drop-off locations and suggested school supplies can go to WRAL.com and click on the Family section.  Anyone interested in receiving school supplies should contact Communities In Schools of North Carolina at (919) 832-2700 or call toll free at 1-800-849-8881.

Since 2001, more than 10,000 students have been served by WRAL’s School Stuff campaign.

WRAL-TV and Communities In Schools of North Carolina thank community partners The UPS Store and WakeMed for their support of this project.  Also, special thanks extended to Metro Productions for their in-kind support.

Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Loretta Harper-Arnold for this capcom story.