PORTLAND, Ore. — A flurry of volunteer hands from Pacific Power recently stuffed 621 backpacks full of donated school supplies for needy schoolchildren attending Woodlawn Elementary. Now, Pacific Power volunteers will hand out the backpacks Thursday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. to students at Woodlawn Elementary, located at 7200 N.E. 11th Ave.

“A backpack of school supplies is a concrete way to tell a child that their education is so important, a neighbor is willing to provide them with the tools to get the job done,” said Megan Brown, volunteer coordinator for Pacific Power.

The effort is part of Schoolhouse Supplies’ annual Tools for Schools drive, which encourages companies to adopt a school in a high-poverty area, and provide each student with a backpack full of supplies. This year’s effort was supported by a $3,000 donation from the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning, which partnered with the Damon Stoudamire Foundation to fund the effort. Professional basketball player Damon Stoudamire attended Woodlawn Elementary school.

“At a time when funding for public education is so vulnerable, Schoolhouse Supplies has become a haven of support for Portland’s classrooms by producing tangible results for children in need,” said Courtney Berry, volunteer manager for Schoolhouse Supplies.

Citywide, the campaign netted 8,000 backpacks of supplies for students at 17 elementary schools, located primarily in northeast and southeast Portland.

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