Kappa Delta Pi launches Fill the Pack to help collect school supplies for Olean district

ST. BONAVENTURE — Members of St. Bonaventure University’s education honor society are teaming up with the Olean City School District to help provide much needed classroom supplies for the remaining months of the school year.

The university’s chapter of Kappa Delta Pi has organized a Fill the Pack supply drive that will run until March 21 on campus and in Olean. 

Donation boxes for supplies have been placed in Olean at The Paper Factory, 176 N. Union St., and Tops, 2401 W. State St. On campus, drop-off boxes are located in the University Bookstore in the Reilly Center, the Administration Building, and in the School of Education in Plassmann Hall. 

Priority items include No. 2 pencils, Expo markers, glue sticks, crayons, colored pencils and markers. The students are also hoping to collect an assortment of sizes of Ziploc bags, tissues and antibacterial wipes such as Lysol. The school supplies should all be new or never-opened items, however, gently used backpacks will be accepted.

“As preservice teachers, we have seen the need for school supplies in the classroom and know that it is an all-year need,” said Victoria Cleary, ’22, president of the Kappa Delta Pi chapter at St. Bonaventure and an inclusive early childhood and childhood education major. “We wanted to give back to educators, schools and students that have supported us. It is important to show educators and students that their community will always be there for them.”

Monetary donations for the drive can be mailed to Kappa Delta Pi, c/o Mrs. Mary Beatty, School of Education, Box AB, St. Bonaventure, NY 14778, or dropped off to Mrs. Beatty in Plassmann B 22.

Funding for this project was supported by a local charitable grant and funding is managed by the St. Bonaventure education department chapter of the national education honor society, Kappa Delta Pi – XiNu.