For the 12th year in a row, the Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference School Supply Committee led a summer project to help local students start the year prepared for school by providing backpacks and vital supplies. In 2024, 6.5 percent of children were living in poverty in El Dorado County, so they knew the need was urgent.
The Hands4Hope School Supply Drive Committee, made up of 16 middle and high school youth with the support of adult mentor volunteers, a college intern, and Hands4Hope staff advisors, began by working with local businesses from Folsom to Placerville to host collection bins. Next, they coordinated with El Dorado Hills Town Center and El Dorado County Office of Education to host a “Stuff the Bus” event on July 18.
The marketing subcommittee and a KCRA 3 interview got the word out and the community responded. Generous shoppers and organizations like churches and clubs dropped off mountains of supplies, and the returned collection bins filled the EDCOE school bus. Cash and online donations, plus generous shoppers from their wish list, allowed for all item goals to be met, and many were exceeded.
This year’s committee included six subcommittee youth chairs, ten youth participants, and two staff mentors, and was led by a Hands4Hope alumni/college intern. In all, 60 volunteers served more than 110 times and logged over 300 hours to plan, collect, sort, and distribute school supplies. Altogether, the 2025 youth-led committee collected 18,000 items, including 908 backpacks, with an estimated value of $66,800. Combined with previous donations, the youth-led committee of 16 planned and coordinated the collection, sorting, organization, and distribution of nearly 29,000 vital school supplies and backpacks.
“I enjoyed learning the process of creating and doing a project with a team; managing and coordinating things that were actually important,” said Mia George, project manager and Hands4Hope college intern. “I loved actually having an impact with what I was doing.”
School supply requests were referral-only, and accessed through Hands4Hope partner agencies, such as the McKinney-Vento Services for the El Dorado Office of Education, CASA, New Morning Youth and Family Services, and Headstart, among others. About one quarter of this year’s registrants were new to the program, reflecting the increasing needs of the community. Families with students in all grades were welcomed on August 5 at Louisiana Schnell Elementary School in Placerville, which once again hosted the effort.
During the four-hour distribution event, Hands4Hope youth participants led student guests through stations to “shop” for everything they needed for school, from a new backpack to colored pencils, pens, folders, notebooks, crayons, and more. That day, 501 students received backpacks and supplies, including new kindergarteners through seniors in high school. Nearly 60 additional backpacks full of supplies were distributed in the days following the event through community partners and direct distribution, and remaining supplies continue to be requested and distributed through community partners and schools.
“Thank you to ALL of the donors who came to the Stuff the Bus event, donated online, or brought items to collection sites,” said Kate Barba, Hands4Hope special events program coordinator. “We are especially grateful to the local businesses and organizations who hosted Hands4Hope collection bins so donors had convenient locations to drop off backpacks and supplies. In house collection drives were another huge support. We couldn’t have made the impact we did without you!”
For a full list of bin collection sites, a wrap-up video and additional photos, visit the Hands4Hope website at hands4hopeyouth.org.
Hands4Hope – Youth Making A Difference is a nonprofit, youth-driven organization with the mission to inspire and empower youth in leadership and service. It offers hands-on education and community outreach opportunities to youth from sixth through 12th grades through school-based and after-school programs in Sacramento and El Dorado counties. For more information visit hands4hopeyouth.org or call (916) 294-7426.
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