Salvation Army Asking For Donated School Supplies

With the start of school nearing for the rest of El Paso’s children, one organization wants to make sure students who don’t have homes at least have school supplies.

The Salvation Army launched its annual campaign, Sally’s Bus, Friday. A school bus is parked outside the Target store Central El Paso. Organizers hope to fill the bus each day with backpacks, notebooks, pens, combination locks and even gently-used school uniforms until Sunday.

“We want them to start fresh,” said John Martin, director of the Salvation Army office in El Paso. “We want them to have the clothing that is necessary, so when they get into school and they start assimilating and making new friends, one thing they don’t need to worry about is the school supplies.”

Martin said the Salvation Army hopes to gather enough donations to give supplies to each of the homeless children living in the shelter, as well as other homeless shelters in the area. Martin hopes the Salvation Army can even get enough donated supplies to last through the school year.

“Typically, a family will stay with us for about 45-60 days, so every couple of months we have families coming through the shelter and those children need help as well,” said Martin.

The school bus will be outside Target in Bassett Place until Sunday at 6 p.m. Monetary donations are also accepted. Parents who want to receive the donations for the children can call 544-9811 to be put on a waiting list. Donations will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.