PEMCO Insurance, together with the South Lake Union community of Seattle, WA, is holding its second donation campaign for school supplies.
The donation drive is aimed at supporting local students who are homeless, providing them with the supplies they desperately need to better perform in school.
“At PEMCO, our mission is to free our communities – to worry less and live more. That’s everything from providing the right insurance policy to cover your valuables, to bridging the gap for homeless students,” said PEMCO Insurance social impact manager Allison Leep in an interview with Q13 News.
According to Leep, PEMCO this year is supporting Seattle’s middle and high schools with the highest number of homeless students. But the insurer is not alone in this mission – a “super team” of 32 local businesses in South Lake Union have joined forces to support the donation drive.
Last year, 28 businesses participated in the donation drive. The previous campaign managed to collect 100,000 items to support nearly 6,000 local students.
“We know we can make a big difference, and we want to do even more – for more – this year,” Leep added.
Citing some statistics, PEMCO said that the state of Washington ranks eighth overall for states with the highest number of homeless students. In Seattle, specifically, there are more than 3,000 homeless students. Similarly, there are over 6,000 kids in Seattle living in subsidized and/or low-income housing.
Leep says that it is kids from those households that often come to school unprepared and lacking the necessary materials for schoolwork.
“And when we come in unprepared? Truancy increases. Drop-out rates increase. And we know that that achievement gap gets bigger and bigger – and graduation becomes that much more difficult,” she explained.
PEMCO is inviting everyone to donate even the most basic of school supplies, such as highlighters, binders, and dividers. Because this year’s drive is targeting middle and high school kids, the insurer is also asking for materials specific to those academic levels such as scientific calculators and composition notebooks.
Those interested to contribute to the drive may either purchase supplies directly off from PEMCO’s website, drop off any supplies they may have at any of the 32 participating local businesses, or mail a check to the insurer.
