Operation International Children School Supplies

Last week, my son brought home a very special school supplies list.  I know... it's March, so why is he bringing home a list of school supplies now?  Well, the supplies are to support a special organization called Operation International Children, which was co-founded by actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand.    According to the OIC website, the organization was created "to give concerned citizens of the world a way to reach out to children in war-stricken countries and support American troops in their efforts to assist them."

Here's some more information from the OIC website:
"Working directly with troops, OIC has delivered well over a quarter of a million school supply kits, along with more than half a million toys and thousands of blankets, backpacks, pairs of shoes, Arabic-language books, and sets of sports equipment, all of which have been distributed to children.  While we remain committed to our work in Iraq, OIC has expanded its mission, sending school supplies to Afghanistan and other nations, where American troops are distributing them to children in need.  In the future, we will continue to broaden our efforts across the world."

Here's what was on the list:

OIC SCHOOL SUPPLY KIT:

•  One pair of blunt-end scissors
•  One 12-inch ruler with metric markings
•  12 new pencils with erasers
•  One small pencil sharpener
•  One large eraser
•  One box of colored pencils (Crayons melt in the Iraqi summer heat!)
•  One package of notebook paper
•  One composition book
•  Three folders with inside pockets
•  One zippered pencil bag

Pack only the listed supplies in a 2-gallon sized zipper seal plastic bag.

So, last week we headed out to the store to purchase the items on the list.  This evening the kids each assembled a bag to donate.

In case you want to see more about Operation International Children, I found this clip: