Maricopa Unified School District Superintendent Tracey Lopeman and several school leaders accepted a huge haul of donated school supplies for kids in need on Thursday.
They stood behind bags and boxes of pencils, notebooks, backpacks, clean wipes, paper towels, crayons, scissors and notebooks.
It was a show of success for the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce, Maricopa Pantry and Exceptional Community Hospital’s Back-to-School Supply Drive.
Donation boxes were placed around town at 13 businesses including InMaricopa and inside the lobby of the Province community’s recreation center. They were collected and delivered to MUSD’s meeting-room lobby Thursday evening.
“We will deliver them to our school principals and they will distribute it to their teachers,” Lopeman said. “Then it gets it in the hands of kids, which is the best place. Lots of good art supplies, there’s good writing supplies, backpacks, so we’re thrilled. We’re so thankful for the generosity of the city of Maricopa, Province, the businesses. It’s wonderful.”
Most of the donations came from Province community residents, estimated at nearly 70% of the haul, officials said. At the InMaricopa office, five giant boxes overflowed with donated supplies.
Bill Robertson, a Maricopa Planning and Zoning commissioner and Province resident, was instrumental in powering residents’ donations in that community, officials said.
