NAPLES – Guadalupe Center has launched its 28th annual Back-to-School Shoes & Supplies Drive to provide students with new sneakers and school supplies as the 2020-21 academic year begins.

The nonprofit is collecting new notebooks, writing utensils, art supplies and other classroom items, as well as monetary donations, that will ensure students are prepared for success when classes resume. This year’s collection is critically important as many parents in Immokalee face unprecedented economic hardships caused by COVID-19.

“Immokalee’s unemployment rate typically rises during the summer because agriculture jobs decrease, but this year, parents who work in retail, restaurants, hospitality and other service jobs also are struggling financially,” said Dawn Montecalvo, president of Guadalupe Center. “To level the playing field, we as a community must ensure that all students have access to the supplies and resources necessary to succeed academically.”

Guadalupe Center, which has a mission of breaking the cycle of poverty through education for the children of Immokalee, will distribute supplies to students in its Early Childhood Education Program, After-school Tutoring & Summer Enrichment Program and Tutor Corps Program. Requested supplies include:

• Paper products: composition writing books, index cards, lined notebook filler paper, notebooks and number cards.

• Writing utensils: colored pencils, crayons, markers and pencils.

• Art supplies: blunt scissors, construction paper, glue, googly eyes, paint, paint brushes, pipe cleaners and Play-Doh.

• Classroom supplies: dry erase markers, paper plates, pencil sharpeners, pompoms, rulers and 9x12 student lap whiteboards.

• Cleaning supplies: alcohol, bleach, disinfectant wipes, face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and spray bottles.

Guadalupe Center also has partnered with Snyderman’s Shoes of Naples and the nonprofit Laces of Love, which will be distributing new shoes to Guadalupe Center students in the coming weeks.

Monetary donations can be made online through a secure portal at GuadalupeCenter.org/how-to-give. New school supplies can be dropped off or mailed to Guadalupe Center at 509 Hope Circle, Immokalee, FL 34142; Guadalupe Center’s development office at 2640 Golden Gate Parkway, Suite 205, Naples, FL 34105; or Guadalupe Resale Shop, 12980 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 10, Naples, FL 34110. All donations are tax deductible.