Today was the first day of school, and students at Cleveland Elementary School are walking into their classrooms ready to learn. Thanks to this community, they’re walking in with much of what they need.
At the end of July, we launched our Back to School Supplies Drive with a simple goal: help those students start the year off right. Donate $10 worth of supplies from the list Cleveland Elementary asked for, drop them off at Giving Hope Bingo, and receive $15 off a bingo package of $50 or more. Every single item collected went directly to the school.
We didn’t just hope for a good turnout. We asked our players and community to show up for local kids, and that’s exactly what happened.
The Community Showed Up
From the moment the drive launched, the response from our players was nothing short of supportive. Bags and boxes of supplies came through our doors all summer long, right up through the August 23 deadline.
Stacks of notebooks and folders, rows of crayon boxes, baskets full of glue sticks and pencil pouches, cases of disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, all piled so high there were still boxes waiting on the floor beside it. When we finished counting, our community had donated over 1,700 items with a value of over $2,100, all for one school.
At Giving Hope Bingo, we believe our community is at its best when we take care of each other, and this drive was proof of that. Every crayon box, every folder, every bottle of glue on that table represents someone in our community choosing to show up for a kid they may never meet.
Thank You
To everyone who donated, thank you. Today, on the first day of school, every one of those items is in a classroom instead of sitting on a shelf. You didn’t just help us hit a goal. You helped make sure a classroom full of kids started the year with much of what they need instead of what they’re missing.
Giving Hope Bingo is proud to call this community home, and we can’t wait to see what we accomplish together next.
