H-E-B and Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Company cosponsor project. Four area schools will benefit from the program, including Humble, Jack Fields, Lakeland and North Belt Elementary Schools.

The first day of school brings familiar feelings of anticipation and excitement to young students.  Seeing old friends and sharing summer stories; meeting new classmates and charming the teacher are part of the drill.  Students can approach the school year with enthusiasm when armed with a backpack full of brand-new school supplies.

However, if students don’t have these supplies, the beginning of school can be somewhat of a stressful experience. It can cause embarrassment for some students if they don’t have the tools necessary to participate and succeed in the classroom, while their classmates do.

The Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Company and the University of Houston Alumni Association created Operation School Supplies (OSS) in 1990 as an education community service project to deliver the basic, yet important, tools – notebook paper, construction paper, pens, pencils, rulers, markers – to public elementary students in school districts throughout the greater Houston area.

In 2001, H-E-B joined Operation School Supplies as the retail partner, lending its enthusiasm for grass roots efforts and encouraging the growth of the campaign.  From July 8 through August 5, H-E-B shoppers can support the effort by picking up an Operation School Supplies coupon at the checkout counter at any participating Houston area store to add a donation to their grocery purchase. Prepackaged bags of new school supplies are available for purchase and can be dropped in an Operation School Supplies donation bin. Additionally, each time any Coca-Cola product is purchased at H-E-B during this time period, the Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Company will donate a portion of the proceeds to Operation School Supplies.

The United Way of Greater Houston is also a sponsor, bringing invaluable resources of knowledge of the communities, as well as staffed phone lines to handle inquiries from members of the community.  With the added commitment of media partners FOX 26/My20, Cumulus Radio – ESPN The Ticket, Jack FM and KRBE, along with the Houston Astros, Houston Children’s Museum and the Houston Public Library, Operation School Supplies has grown to reach 330 schools in 31 area school districts this year, including Humble Independent School District. Four area schools will benefit from the program, including Humble, Jack Fields, Lakeland and North Belt Elementary Schools.           

During the 2009 campaign, new school supplies can be dropped off at the Houston Children’s Museum and any Houston Public Library location. In addition, there will be a drop-off day at the Houston Astros game against the New York Mets on Sunday, July 26.  Individuals can also sponsor a school for $25 and a school district for $100. Since its inception, the program has raised more than $1,607,123 million for the purchase of school supplies for elementary school students.

 “Operation School Supplies gives many elementary school students in the greater Houston area a leg up by providing them with the material foundation they need and allowing them to start the school year on a high note,” says Rick Kehr, Market Unit Vice President for Houston Coca-Cola Bottling Company. “At Coca-Cola, we have a deep commitment to giving back to our community and supporting youth and education. We are proud to kick off the 19th year of this program with our friends at the University of Houston Alumni Association.”

 “It’s normal for kids to get excited about summer break, but we really look forward to the end of summer every year,” said Cyndy Garza-Roberts, Public Affairs Director for H-E-B Houston. “It is highly rewarding to help thousands of local children get the school supplies they need through the annual Operation School Supplies campaign so they can be just as excited and prepared for the start of another school year.”

Once the campaign concludes in August, volunteers from The University of Houston Alumni Association help sort and box the donated supplies and prepare them for collection by representatives from the participating local school districts.

“The University of Houston Alumni Association gives its all to this community service project every year,” says Tonja Jones, Vice President for Alumni & Student Programs for the University of Houston Alumni Association. “Operation School Supplies succeeds because of the generosity of the community, the sponsors, the partners and the more than 180,000 University of Houston alumni world-wide.  We hope this summer’s campaign will help even more students than ever before get off to a great start for the 2009-2010 school year.”

If you know of an elementary school-age child who needs assistance with school supplies, please call the United Way of Greater Houston Help Line at 2-1-1. Together, we can help erase the need!