School Supplies Drive for Refugees Lacks Turnout

Leadership is working with all the schools in the Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD) to collect school supplies for Afghan refugees in the Bay Area during the month of October. The coordinators of the drive hope to help refugee students transition as easily as possible to life in California.

“We are partnering with all the schools in the district to collect school supplies for Afghan refugee children coming into the Bay Area,” said senior Ally Loyet, co-head of the philanthropy department of leadership, “I think that there should be more support for this drive because the new refugees could potentially be members of our community.”

Leadership has drop-off boxes on campus and at the other AUHSD school campuses. “We’re collecting the supplies at drop off boxes on campus. There’s 1 in the attendance hallway and the library,” says senior Amy Erdenebayar, co-head of the philanthropy department of leadership.

According to ABC News, currently the Bay Area has the highest number of Afghans refugees in the US outside of Afghanistan with 225 already here and 300 more on the way.

“The Afghan community has been alive and thriving in the Bay Area for a while now. And because of the events that have recently happened in Afghanistan, there will be refugee students starting mid school year. It would be really important for us to make sure that they have as best of an experience as possible, especially in a new country,” says leadership advisor Lindsay Webb-Peploe, leadership teacher.

Leadership has not collected many supplies and would like to encourage more people to donate in order to help these students feel welcomed.