Twin Cities mom coordinates school supply donations for hundreds of students in need

With the start of school beginning in a matter of weeks, Hollee Saville is working the phones and checking her supply lists.

“It’s kind of organized chaos,” she says. “I know we’re helping students in need. No child should have to worry or be deprived of school supplies — and that affects their education.”

Almost every inch of Saville’s living room and garage is covered with notebooks, pencils, markers and backpacks.

“A lot of time must be put into this,” declares Shannan Marshall. “It’s a lot to have your whole house overtaken, but it’s amazing and quite an effort.”

Every August, Saville’s St. Michael home is converted into a collection and drop-off point for Project Pencils, a volunteer effort to collect school supplies for more than 450 Wright County students in need.

“It makes me feel actually pretty good that we’re helping kids in the community that need help,” declares Nicole Sheets, a project volunteer. “Kids that are my kids’ age that otherwise won’t have a great start to their new year.”

Saville and her friend Brandy Vollbrecht launched the idea in 2016.

Parents can complete a request form on the project’s website.

Each student is assigned a number to keep names private. The number and helpful information are posted on a Facebook group.

“We post their number, grade, male or female, and their school,” Saville explains. “Then we post their very specific school supply list for whatever teacher and school and grade they’re in.”

Donors can pick a number and go shopping, filling a backpack with the needed items — knowing they’re making a difference.

“It was fun to be able to go out and pick out school supplies for an elementary student because my kids are in high school,” Marshall says. “I took my kids with me and was just a fun thing to do any help someone out.”

Saville says the effort has provided supplies for 1,500 students since the project began.

She says she’s received heartfelt thank you notes from parents — and even photos.

“One of the moms had posted a picture of her kindergartener sleeping on top of her kitty backpack that someone had given her full of supplies,” Saville recalls. “She’s been sleeping with it for three days. Brings tears to your eyes.”

The backpacks are numbered, checked, and repacked, to make sure everything requested is inside.

Thirteen-year-old Aiden Sheets is among the 66 volunteers helping out.

“I’m not the best at packing, so I find a way. I enjoy it,” he says. “It makes me feel good that I’m helping people, and helping people that go to my school, too.”

Saville says the project is receiving up to 15 requests for supplies every day, and donated supplies keep coming in. So much so that she’s running out of room in her house and is considering buying a trailer — as long as it means no students in need will be turned away.

Saville says students will be able to pick up their supplies later this month — plenty of time for the start of school in Wright County in September.

She adds no one is making a dime on this effort, but there are other rewards.

“It’s a blessing, it really is. It’s so much fun to be able to do this,” Saville smiles. “This is a way to make sure the beginning of the school year to be a time of excitement and joy, and we’re trying to help.”