Here’s how to give and get school supplies in Broward, Palm

While summer is still in full swing, parents are preparing for the upcoming school year as they expect to face higher costs for all of the essential supplies their children will need to head back into the classroom. Start dates are Aug. 10 in Palm Beach County and Aug. 16 in Broward County. Organizations throughout South Florida are here to help by collecting and distributing supplies at events planned in July and August.

Angel Books Back 2 School Bash will give out free backpacks and school supplies at 1 p.m. Aug. 6 at Mothers Against Murderers Assoc., 1897 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. #117, West Palm Beach. Call 561-670-9789 to register from July 14-20.

City of Greenacres Back To School Supply Drive is collecting supplies through July 22 at the Greenacres Community Center, 501 Swain Blvd. Items needed include pencils, composition books, highlighters, erasers, copy paper, glue sticks, children’s scissors, pens, markers and backpacks. 561-642-2180.

City of Plantation and Mayor Lynn Stoner Back To School BBQ event will give out free school supplies for Plantation residents (must show ID), free haircuts for all children by the Florida Barber Academy and lunch. Activities include inflatables, lawn games, prizes and giveaways and music. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. July 23 at the Jim Ward Community Center, 301 NW 46th Ave., Plantation. 954-585-2344.

Lake Worth Beach Back to School Bash will give out free backpacks and supplies while they last from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 23 at Norman J. Wimbley Gymnasium, 1515 Wingfield St. There will be food and music. Contact Isis Perez Lugo at [email protected] or 561-586-1702.

Flanigan’s Back to School Supply Drive is collecting supplies for Sheridan House, a faith-based organization offering community services for children and families in Davie. Items needed include backpacks, packets of No. 2 pencils, colored thin markers, scissors, highlighters, glue sticks, loose leaf paper, pencil erasers, college composition books, and blue, black and red pens. Donate before July 25 at amzn.to/3Rw0Svb.

Village of Wellington Back to School Supply Drive is accepting donations of back-to-school supplies for the upcoming school year through July 28. Items needed are notebooks, binders, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, composition books and glue sticks. Drop off donations at the Wellington Community Center (12150 Forest Hill Blvd.), Village Hall (12300 Forest Hill Blvd.) and Village Park (11700 Pierson Road). Several Wellington Community Partners will also be accepting supplies at the Wellington Community Foundation (12794 Forest Hill Blvd.) and at The Town Crier/Wellington the Magazine (12794 Forest Hill Blvd.).

Dress for Success Palm Beaches Teacher Appreciation Shopping Experience is offering women teachers a free top-to-bottom workplace outfit. The second annual event pairs a DFSPB personal stylist with those educators who are looking to give their work wardrobe an added look. Reservations are required for the individual appointments July 26, 29 and 30, and Aug. 2 and 5 at the DFSPB “boutique,” 2459 S. Congress Ave., Suite 204, Palm Springs or at its Belle Glade branch, 1089 S. Main St., July 25 and 27, and Aug. 1 and 3. To reserve an appointment, call 561-249-3898. Dressforsuccesspb.org/.

Excel Construction of Florida is also working to equip students in need with school supplies during July. Items can be dropped off at Excel Construction of Florida, 11860 West State Road 84, Suite B11, in Davie. Items will benefit the Broward Education Foundation and the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. Most-needed school supplies are pink erasers, 24-pack crayons, glue sticks, 100-page composition books, colored pencils, two-pocket folders, filler paper, pencils and pencil cases.

Business Attire Clothing Drive, a partnership between State Rep. Kelly Skidmore and Palm Beach State College, has the goal to help students prepare for their professional life. Items collected will be donated to Panther’s Closet, which is a thrift store run by the Honors College students. Honors credit is awarded to students who enroll in this community-based learning course that teaches key entrepreneurial skills in management, sales and team-building. Current students, faculty, and staff of PBSC can shop at Panther’s Closet where all items sell for $1 each. Donations may be dropped off through July 27 at Palm Beach State College campuses as well as Rep. Skidmore’s District office, 8177 Glades Road, Suite 209, in Boca Raton. Arrangements can also be made to have donations picked up by calling 561-470-2086.

Elite DNA Therapy Services Back-to-School Supplies Drive is collecting school supplies, including notebooks, college- and wide-ruled paper, pocket folders, binders, pens, No. 2 and colored pencils, pink erasers, highlighters, pencil boxes, student scissors, glue sticks, wired headphones and sanitizing wipes, through July 29. Cash donations are also accepted for supplies to be purchased by Elite DNA staff. The drive will benefit students in schools across Palm Beach and Broward counties through The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and Broward Education Foundation. Drop off donations of school supplies at any Elite DNA location between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays (Jupiter: 4425 Military Trail, Suite 203, 561-747-2775; Loxahatchee: 12989 Southern Blvd., Suite 102, 561-513-6716; and Weston: 2625 Executive Park Drive, Suite 5, 954-694-0211).

City of Lauderhill Back to School Backpack Giveaway with offer free school supplies, backpacks and haircuts, DJ, bounce house, face painting, raffles and prizes, and police and fire department safety demos. 9 a.m.-noon July 30 at St. George Community Park, 3501 NW Eighth St., Lauderhill. For Lauderhill residents only (proof of residency required). Limit 1 backpack per student and student must be present. Available on a first come, first-served basis while supplies last. 954-730-3066 or [email protected].

School Kits 4 Kids will hand out school supplies for K-12 students on a first-come, first-served basis from 3-7 p.m. July 30 at Meadows Park, 4305 N Congress Ave., Boynton Beach. Parents must accompany kids. No drop-off allowed. 561-410-1545.

Back to School & Career Jam is a bookbag and school supplies giveaway with a career costume contest for kids, bounce houses, music, food and entertainment. Noon-4 p.m. July 30 at John Prince Park, 2700 Sixth Ave., Lake Worth.

Mall at Wellington Green Get Back to School Ready! will help students see what’s trending and save during the tax-free holiday. Activities include a fashion show highlighting the latest trends, music by DJ Lexey, dance and musical performances. The mall is giving away $500 in gift cards, and participants will have a chance to win a $500 back-to-school shopping spree. 2-4 p.m. July 30 at the mall, 10300 Forest Hill Blvd, #2000, Wellington.

Verizon School Rocks Backpack Giveaway at TCC and Wireless Zone stores from 1-4 p.m. July 31. Pick up a backpack full of supplies, such as pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, a ruler and glue. Backpacks will be handed out while supplies last. Families can also enter their students in a sweepstakes to win a $10,000 college scholarship. Children in grades K-12 are eligible for entry and can be registered at the stores during the School Rocks Backpack Giveaway event. Five scholarships in total will be awarded to randomly selected winners. To find a participating store, visit locations.tccrocks.com/search.html or shop.wirelesszone.com.

Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center 2022 Back to School Supply Drive is collecting 700 backpacks to fill with supplies for children with special needs under its care. Donations are being accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 8 (in preparation for distribution Aug. 10 and 11) at CDTC headquarters, 1401 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Backpacks, notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, markers, folders, glue sticks and gift cards are needed. childrensdiagnostic.com/back-to-school/.

Family Promise of North Central Palm Beach County Back-2-School Supplies Drive is collecting backpacks, tissue paper, college-, wide-ruled and graphing paper, organizers/planners, sticky notes, calculators, rulers, pencils, erasers, highlighters, ballpoint pens, crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue, tape, scissors, USB flash drives, binders, locks and bulletin boards. Donations may be dropped off at the Day Center, 2635 Old Okeechobee Road, in West Palm Beach, or contact volunteer coordinator Stevie Williams at 561-690-4614 or [email protected]. familypromisencpbc.org.

Ann Storck Center Pop A Bubble, Spread The Love is a donation drive to go toward items needed to kick off the 2022-2023 school year at the center, which is dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Visit annstorckcenter.org/summerbubbles to click on a bubble and make a donation through Aug. 31.

Broward Education Foundation School Supply Drive is helping under-resourced children in Title I schools in Broward County. Gather school supplies at your organization, then either drop off the collection at Broward Education Foundation School Supply Center, 2300 W. Copans Road, Suite 5, in Pompano Beach, or arrange for them to be picked up. To host a supply drive, call the Broward Education Foundation School Supply Center at 754-321-9020 or email [email protected]. Through monetary donations, $10 can supply 200 pencils to help support student learning, $35 can provide a student with a backpack filled with essential school supplies, $100 can support a teacher with classroom tools and resources and $250 can provide art supplies for an entire classroom. browardedfoundation.org/drive/.

City of Sunrise Back to School Round-Up is a free end-of-summer celebration with refreshments, rides and games from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Sunrise Civic Center, 10610 W. Oakland Park Blvd. Representatives from Sunrise schools will be on hand to answer questions about the 2022-23 academic year. Students must be accompanied by a legal guardian. Driver’s license required as proof of Sunrise residency. 954-747-4600.

Dania Beach Back to School Beach Cleanup & Backpack Giveaway is a free family event with light bites, music and face painting. 9-11 a.m. Aug. 6 at The Dania Beach Pier, 300 N. Beach Road (in front of Quarterdeck). Limited to 300 backpacks, first come, first served. Cleanup materials will be provided. Community service hours are available. 954–924–6800, ext. 3607.

City of Deerfield Beach Back to School Block Party, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Oveta McKeithen Recreation Complex, 445 SW Second St., Deerfield Beach.

Tamarac Back to School Splash with music, games and other activities poolside from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 6 at Caporella Aquatic Complex, 9300 NW 58th St., Tamarac. $5. The first 60 children (ages 5-12) will receive a back-to-school goodie bag. 954-597-3660.

Salem Community Church Back To School Fair will hand out free backpacks with school supplies and offer free physicals. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 6 at the church, 3200 Roberts Lane, Lake Worth. Register on Instagram (linktr.ee/mysalemchurch) through Aug 1. 914-433-4519.

Palm Springs Public Library Back to School Bash will have free backpacks while supplies last from 10:30 a.m.-noon Aug. 6 in the library meeting room, 217 Cypress Lane, Palm Springs. Register at vpsfl.org. 561-584-8350.

Town of Lake Park Back 2 School Extravaganza with free backpacks, school supplies and resources for students grades K-12. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 6 at Town Hall, 535 Park Ave., Lake Park. Parent and student must be present. Academic & Technical program information will be available for college students. 561-840-0160.

Grover Corlew School Supply Drive will have a drive-thru event to collect donations Aug. 10. Drop off items at any of the Florida-based real estate investment management group’s office buildings throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties. Call 954-516-7001 for locations. Supplies will be donated to both the Broward Education Foundation and the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County.

Coral Springs Family Fun Night: Back to School Bash will offer free ice skating at the Panthers IceDen, 3299 Sportsplex Drive, from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12. Email [email protected].

Coconut Creek Back to School Drive-In Movie featuring “Space Jam: A New Legacy” shown on a three-story screen with sound and closed captioning, and free popcorn and giveaways for the first 125 cars. 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Butterfly Parking Lot, 5550 NW 40th St., Coconut Creek. 954-545-6682 or 954-545-6698.

Mt. Olivet SDA Church Back 2 School Block Party will offer school registration, vaccinations, prizes and giveaways, youth programs information, live music, free hair cuts and more. Noon-4 p.m. Aug. 14 at the church, 649 NW 15th Way, Fort Lauderdale. mountolivetsdafl.org/.

To add a back-to-school event to the list, email [email protected].