Tag Archives: school supply santa

Collecting school supplies does not end when the school bell rings

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wtkv.org


School may be in session but for Denise Kooiker, aka School Supply Santa, collecting school supplies does not stop just because the bell has rung.

“Once school starts, people can bring supplies right to Byron Ministries for the following year,” Kooiker said. “Our main part we tried to do before school starts, but we receive items throughout the year.”

School Supply Santa’s main push for collections takes place in July and August when donation boxes are put out at many area business. Staff from 36 area schools are invited to an event in August where they can pick out items for students in their school.


Almost 1,100 backpacks were handed out along with about 46,000 school supplies at the 2019 event. Schools serviced by the program include Byron Center, Godwin Heights, Godfrey-Lee, Kelloggsville, Kentwood and Wyoming. 

It was 12 years ago when Kooiker, a hair stylist, had a client tell her about the needs for her students. 

“I was naive,” Kooiker said. “What do you mean kids don’t have school supplies?”

She started School Supply Santa by filling her car and now has a storage facility along with the space at Byron Ministries for donations. 

So as area residents hit the stores for sales throughout the year, keep in mind of the needs of area students, Kooiker said. Items most needed are dry erase markers as many schools do not use chalkboards but dry erase boards. 

“Backpacks are always a big thing,” Kooiker said. “It is such a confidence booster. It is hard to come to school without one or one that is old and frayed.”

For a complete list of school supplies, visit the School Supply Santa website, schoolsupplysanta.com

Santa does more than gifts, this time of year it’s school supplies

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , , ,
For the 2018 School Supply Santa drive, 1,219 backpacks were collected along with 38,000 school supplies. (Supplied)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org


A school ad shows a student larger than life because of all the new school supplies and clothes she got. But for some local residents, just purchasing the basic school supplies can be a momental task.

“In one of the places I recently volunteered, I talked to families who stated ‘My next paycheck would have to go toward school supplies,’” said WKTV Journal host Donna Kidner Smith. 

It is the reason that Denise Kooiker created the School Supply Santa more than 10 yeas ago.

“I am hairdresser and I was at work one day and one of my clients was telling me about the need for school supplies and how much teachers spend on their classrooms and to help their students,” Kooiker said. “I was totally unaware of the need for school supplies.”

Kooiker discovered that more than 94 percent of teachers spend an average of $500 of their money on classroom supplies, she said. She created School Supply Santa to help teachers help those students who need it, Kooiker said.

Through Aug. 7, various locations throughout the Wyoming, Kentwood, Byron Center ,and Grand Rapids area are serving as collection sites. Some of the Wyoming locations are Amethyst Beauty Bar, Beltline Bar, Edward Jones, For the Kids Gymnastics, Maple Hill Golf, Peach Wave, Shape Your Life, and the YMCA – Spartan on Gezon Avenue. In Kentwood, some of the drop off sites are Breton Garden Family Dentistry, DJ’s Landscape Management, Grand Coney Diner, Fast Signs, and the Omelette Shop. For a complete list of locations, visit schoolsupplysanta.com.

Area residents are encouraged to bring donations to those locations. Items needed are backpacks, crayons, colored pencils, dry erase expo markers, ear buds, erasers, solid color folders, glue sticks, Post-it notes, Kleenex, pencils, markers notebooks, three-ring binders, composition notebooks, and headphones.

Kooiker said some of the school supplies, such as backpacks, do take a beating over the course or a year, so buying the cheapest item is not always the best option. 

“Some of the less quality backpacks will rip fairly quickly,” Kooiker said.

Financial contributions also are accepted at schoolsupplysanta.com. 

Staff and teachers from Kentwood Public Schools, Wyoming Public Schools, Godwin Heights Public Schools, Godfrey-Lee Pubic Schools, Kelloggsville Public Schools, and Byron Center Public Schools will attend a special event in August to pick up the school supplies. The staff from the schools then distribute it to students who have a need, Kooiker said.

Last year, School Supply Santa collected 1,219 backpacks, more than 38,000 school supplies, which supported 34 local schools, grades K-12, and more than 2,500 students. 

And while the 2019 season for collections is coming to a close, the School Supply Santa does collect year around, Kooiker said. If you are interested in donating or volunteering for School Supply Santa, visit schoolsupplysanta.com or the Facebook page, School Supply Santa.

Some of the volunteers for the School Supply Santa. (Supplied)

School Supply Santa set to wrap up its annual campaign Aug. 8

3-bottom, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, , , , ,

WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

 

There are still a few days left to help area students get ready for school this fall by donating school supplies to the annual School Supply Santa campaign.

 

Set to wrap up on Aug. 8, School Supply Santa is actually the idea of Byron Center resident Denise Kooiker. In 2007, Kookier, a hair stylist, decided to hold a drive to collect school supplies when one of her clients told her about numerous families not being able to purchase backpacks, crayons, pencils, notebooks and other items that students need to start the school year. 

 

Eleven years later, the program has grown, helping students in several school districts such as Kelloggsville, Godwin Heights, Wyoming, and Godfrey Lee. Now the organization collects boxes of school supplies that are distributed to the various schools.

 

There are numerous sites throughout the West Michigan area that are collecting items such at Kellogg Community Credit Union at the Metro Health Village and at its Patterson Avenue location; the YMCA Spartan location on Gezon Parkway; Byron Center’s South Harbor Church; Peach Wave along with several businesses in the Metro Health Village; For the Kids Gymnastics on 44th Street; and several local Starbucks. For a complete list of locations, visit the website, schoolsupplysanta.com.

 

Items that are needed are backpacks, crayons, colored pencils, dry erase markers, ear buds, folders, glue sticks, Post-it notes, Kleenex, pencils, markers, notebooks three-ring binders, and composition notebooks. Monetary donations also are accepted.

 

For more information, visit the website, schoolsupplysanta.com.