School districts in Mundelein hosted a school supply drive for almost a month over the summer, and distributions were made to about 200 area families ahead of the start of the new academic year.
The districts ? Mundelein High School District 120, Mundelein Elementary School District 75 and Diamond Lake School District 76 — hosted a similar drive last year, which officials said was a direct result of the need created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The drive this year ran from late June to July 26. The supplies aske for included backpacks and other classroom essentials.
Jaime DiCarlo, assistant superintendent of Student Services for both SD120 and SD75, said the districts have become close to families in need due to the pandemic. The districts, along with the help of Fremont Township, were able to create a list of families thought to be in need. Other families who were also in need, but not on the list, reached out themselves, officials explained.
“There’s about 160 kids that needed their backpack and school supplies,” DiCarlo said. “And we got a few more families.”
SD76 Community Liaison Daisy Carrera said she has worked with both SD75 and SD120 in the past on various community initiatives. For SD76 in particular, she said students from low-income households make up more than 60% of the over 900 students in the three-school district.
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“People were getting sick, people didn’t know where to go (last year),” Carrera said. “So I think that we were very blessed in a sense to be able to do that work and be the people they needed.”
The new school year in SD76 starts Aug. 18 for kids in grades K to 8, and Aug. 30 for pre-K students. The year started Aug. 12 for the elementary school students of SD75 and the ninth through 12th graders of SD120.
Before the school supply drive in 2020, the districts had also teamed up for a food drive that helped about 300 families every other week, officials explained.
This year, some of those who helped included Pastor Thomas McAurthur of the Chapel in Mundelein, the Mundelein Citizens’ Police Academy and the Mundelein Citizen Latino Policy Academy Alumni Association — which also donated $750. Along with those, “tons of families” have donated, DiCarlo said.
“The families that are receiving have been very grateful, and the kids have been super excited to have brand new school supplies for when the school year starts,” DiCarlo said.