More than 18,000 Coastal Bend students will receive free school supplies through United Way of the Coastal Bend

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – More than 18,000 students across 43 Coastal Bend school districts will receive free school supplies through the organization’s 30th annual Operation Supply Our Students (SOS) community-wide school supply drive. The annual school supply drive is an initiative led by United Way of the Coastal Bend in partnership with H-E-B and KRIS Communications.

“There’s just so much need out there right now, for a variety of reasons,” said Libby Averyt, President and CEO of United Way of the Coastal Bend. “By providing school supplies, we hope it will alleviate some of the burden currently being felt by our local families and school districts”

School supplies were provided for the following school districts across 10 Coastal Bend counties:

  • Agua Dulce ISD
  • Alice ISD
  • Aransas Pass ISD
  • Austwell-Tivoli ISD
  • Banquete ISD
  • Beeville ISD
  • Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco ISD
  • Benavides ISD
  • Bishop Consolidated ISD
  • Brooks County ISD
  • Calallen ISD
  • Corpus Christi ISD
  • Driscoll ISD
  • Flour Bluff ISD
  • Freer ISD
  • George West ISD
  • Gregory-Portland ISD
  • Ingleside ISD
  • Kenedy County-Wide CSD
  • Kingsville ISD
  • La Gloria ISD
  • Mathis ISD
  • Odem-Edroy ISD
  • Orange Grove ISD
  • Pawnee ISD
  • Pettus ISD
  • Port Aransas ISD
  • Premont ISD
  • Ramirez Common School District
  • Refugio ISD
  • Ricardo ISD
  • Riviera ISD
  • Robstown ISD
  • San Diego ISD
  • Santa Gertrudis ISD
  • Sinton ISD
  • Skidmore-Tynan ISD
  • Taft ISD
  • Three Rivers ISD
  • Tuloso-Midway ISD
  • West Oso ISD
  • Woodsboro ISD

“So much of what we do as educators includes getting the supplies we need to help our students learn,” said Dr. Ray Garza, an elementary school principal in Freer, Texas. “This donation helps our students, teachers, and the community immensely.”

Now in its 30th year, Operation SOS has helped raise awareness and collect basic school supplies for thousands of Coastal Bend students. This year’s event has been aided by community support, as well as Chemours, First Community Bank in Portland, First State Bank of Texas, Hilliard Martinez Gonzales, H-E-B, HOLT CAT, KRIS Communications, Nueces Electric Charities, Port Corpus Christi, The Selena Foundation, and Valero Bill Greehey Refineries.

“We’re fortunate to have so many businesses and individuals who have donated to Operation SOS, either financially or through local H-E-Bs, to meet the needs of our community,” said Averyt. “The level of gratitude we’ve received from the school districts helped has been overwhelming—we’re truly humbled and so thankful to be able to help them at a time where many can use a helping hand.”

One hundred percent of donations go toward the wholesale purchase of basic school supplies. Those wishing to support Operation SOS can do so through August 11, 2020 when shopping online or in-store at H-E-B or by texting ‘SOS’ to 91999.