Sleep Country School Supply Drive for Foster Kids Spells Success

With the odds stacked against them for excelling in school, local foster children get a boost from company’s annual drive to collect backpacks, pens, pencils, paper, flash drives and more

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Seattle – July 30, 2012 – It takes hard work and dedication to excel in school, but it’s difficult to be successful without the most basic tools–school supplies. That’s why Sleep Country USA, the number one bedding specialist in the Northwest, is calling on its community members to donate school supplies for the nearly 20,000 foster children in the Pacific Northwest during its annual School Supply Drive for Foster Kids.

“Children are often apprehensive about their first few days of school and for foster children, who may be starting the school year in a new home, with new friends and teachers, the first days can feel even more nerve-racking,” said Linda Rogers, Regional Foster Parent Recruitment Coordinator at Families for Kids, Spokane. “Having a new backpack and the same school supplies as their peers gives them the confidence to start the school year without first day jitters. With foster kids 20% more likely to drop out of school and twice as likely to repeat a grade, programs like Sleep Country’s help foster kids excel both in school and throughout the rest of their lives.”

Starting today, July 30th, through September 9th, Sleep Country’s Foster Kids Program is collecting donations of new school supplies at all of its more than 80 stores in the region. Here’s how your donation can help foster kids get on the right track so they can:


  1. Get it done the write way: Kids go through tons of pens and pencils throughout the school year. Donate a pack of No. 2 pencils and black or blue pens.
  2. Stand up tall: Backpacks don’t just haul around books and a lunch – they also help foster kids fit in with their peers, lending an extra confidence boost.
  3. Note their success: Paper is another supply kids use up quickly; but without it, they can’t turn in assignments or take notes! Pick up a few packs of loose-leaf paper and a 5-subject notebook.
  4. Stay organized: 3-ring binders are on the top of school supply lists for grades 6-12 and will help foster kids keep their assignments orderly year round.
  5. Get connected: With more and more schoolwork done on the computer, flash drives are a much-needed item for both middle and high school students.


Ready to help foster children beat the odds and start the year set for school? Drop off donations of school supplies at any Sleep Country store, or donate online and Sleep Country employees will do the shopping for you. You can even organize your local school, sports team, or business to rally behind the cause and Host-Your-Own-Drive.

Donate to the Sleep Country School Supply Drive July 30th through September 9th and remember that while “Not everyone can be a foster parent, anyone can help a foster child.”