Orange County Employees Support Office on Youth School Supply Distribution, Aid Over 170 Students
By: Orange County Communications Department
The Orange County Office on Youth ’ s School Supply Distribution event began on Tuesday, August 2, 2022. Though supplies can be requested throughout the school year, the kickoff event is scheduled to take place just before school begins. As a result, the majority of distributed supplies are provided during this time. This year ’ s weeklong distribution event helped 172 students, and the number continues to increase! Without the support of the community, this event would not be possible. Donations of supplies and funds came from across Orange County! Nearly 20 local businesses and organizations hosted supply collection bins in the month of July, and Parks & Recreation partnered with the Office on
Office on Youth staff greeted families seeking supplies with friendly faces! Thanks to generous community support, the school supply closet was able to support more than 170 students.
Youth to host a collection event on July 30 at Unionville Community Park. View the complete list of those hosting bins in last month ’ s issue, and be sure to thank those participating locations for their community support! Going a step further, 2022 saw the return of the “ Golden Scissors ” competition, which pits Orange County government offices against each other in a friendly contest to collect the most school supplies. The winning facility earns bragging rights and the honor of displaying the coveted “ Golden Scissors Award ” until next year ’ s competition. Participating locations included all three (3) library branches, Parks & Recreation and Public Works, the Office on Youth, Social Services, and the Gordon Building (which houses Administration, Finance, the Treasurer ’ s Office, and the Commissioner of the Revenue ’ s Office). In the interest of fairness, the Office on Youth only counts supplies contributed by their staff, not supplies collected through partnerships. At final tally, Orange County employees had collected more than 1,280 school supplies! The total is even more impressive when considering that packs of multiple items (crayons, markers, pencils, etc.) are not separated, but rather counted as a single item. First place was earned by the Gordon Building, with an impressive 494 items. Social Services came in second with 304 items, and third went to the Office on Youth with 227 items. Alisha Vines, Office on Youth Director, expressed gratitude for the support, “ All of these items were definitely put to good use, and we appreciate all of you thinking of our students and donating ”! The Office on Youth would like to remind members of the public that school supplies can still be requested. Proof of need is required, and the student must be a resident of Orange County, or a student at Orange County Public Schools. Supplies are distributed based on the requested supply list for the student ’ s school. Those with questions are encouraged to call (540) 672 - 5484 for additional details.
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