Students who received school supplies and back packs from Mission Arlington in 2014.

By Jim Burgin, staff writer

When you are invited to an event of some kind, do you ever inquire about the appropriate attire for that event? Should men wear a suit and tie? Should ladies wear a dress? Is it “business casual”?  Have you ever been to an event where you weren’t dressed the same way as the rest of the people there? How did it feel? There are some people, of course,  who don’t seem affected by social etiquette, but I suspect that most of us have been embarrassed in some small way or another through our life time, and that we remember how it felt.

When I was in seminary many years ago, the professor invited students to a meal and fellowship at his house for the final class of the semester.  I asked his secretary about the dress code for the evening, and she said it was “casual.”  My wife and I went to the professor’s house dressed in jeans and tennis shoes. When we arrived, every other student, along with the professor and his wife, were dressed in suits & ties, and dresses. Although no one seemed to mind, and we were among friends, I still remember how it felt to be so out of place, to be different from everyone else.

The heart of Mission Arlington®’s school supply season is precisely that: so that young and youthful students in our community won’t find themselves embarrassed on the first day of school, because for whatever reason, their parents couldn’t afford to purchase the school supplies that every other student will have.  If your children are grown, and you haven’t had to buy school supplies in a while, you may not realize how expensive they have become.  The bulk of the families who come through our front doors every day have had a health crisis of some kind, loss of employment, or an unexpected break in an important relationship.  Though these experiences are difficult all around, it is especially hard for the children.

The generosity of this community amazes us every year, because you have always kept these children and youth close to your heart, and you give sacrificially, so that on that first day of school, these young people can walk through the school doors with dignity and pride.  We see the tears in parent’s eyes, and we get to feel the hugs from these students when they get those supplies.  We want you who give to experience this returned warmth and love as well – by knowing what your gifts mean.

Mission Arlington® is in a critical moment of the school supply season. The truth is that more parents are signing up their students every day than we currently have supplies to give. We expect again this year that we will provide supplies to more than 10,000 students.  Your support is requested to help us have enough school supplies, so that we don’t miss one young person in need.

To discover which supplies are needed, click here.  To print a list that you can take with you to the store, click here. Please drop off the supplies at the Mission Arlington offices when you can.  We are in the process of organizing the school supplies now, preparing them for distribution early next month.  If you want to give towards school supplies, you can do so online, by choosing the school supply category.  Or, you can send/bring by a check to us, putting “school supplies” in the memo.

Thank you for all you do to help our children and youth have what they need to start school.  We are so grateful to partner with you.