School supply lists look different in La Grande this year. The district is going back to traditional grade-level lists, built by teacher teams at each elementary school, and families are purchasing the supplies their students need. The classroom list alone runs around $30 per student, and that's before a backpack, a water bottle, headphones, or PE shoes.

Our kids attend school in Imbler, Union, and La Grande, and school starts August 31st. We want every one of them walking in on the first day with a backpack that has everything on the list inside it.

So we're running a Backpack and Supply Drive, and we'd love your help.

What we're asking for

We took the kindergarten, first, and second grade lists and pulled out what all three have in common. One filled backpack works for any kid in our program.

• Ticonderoga #2 pencils (24)
• Crayola crayons (24)
• Crayola colored pencils (24)
• Crayola broad tip markers (10)
• Expo dry erase, black fine tip (4)
• Elmer's glue sticks (6)
• Pink Pearl erasers (3)
• Black Sharpies, fine point (2)
• Crayola watercolor tray (8 colors)
• Disinfecting wipes
• Water bottle
• Wired headphones

The list names specific brands, and that isn't fussiness. Teachers chose them because they hold up over a full year of classroom use, and the district asks families to follow them where possible.

If more comes in than our kids need, the extra goes to their brothers and sisters.

Three ways to help

Friends of the Children — Eastern Oregon pairs kids in Union County with paid, professional mentors called Friends who stay with them from kindergarten through graduation. 12+ years, no matter what. A full backpack is a small piece of that, and it's the piece we can put together before school starts.