Supplies donated to Philadelphia schools

A newspaper delivery truckload of new supplies went to Philadelphia public school students this morning.

Two schools -- James Rhoads Elementary School in West Philadelphia and Tilden Middle School in Southwest -- each got 30 to 40 boxes of items that were collected from the public during a two-week drive that ran from Aug. 25 to Sept. 7.

The effort was a partnership among Interstate General Media, which owns the Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com; Global Citizen, a Philadelphia civic-engagement organization; Uber; and 900 AM-WURD.

"Students need all of our help," said Todd Bernstein, Global Citizen's president.

Donors dropped off supplies at local businesses during the two-week drive. Uber picked up the pens, pencils, paper, tape and other materials on Sept. 8 and brought them to IGM's Schuylkill Printing Plant, where Global Citizen volunteers sorted and packed them.

Today, an Inquirer and Daily News delivery truck brought the supplies to James Rhoads and Tilden. At the elementary school this morning, boxes of materials -- including folders, paper, erasers, notebooks, pencils, pens and crayons -- lined the auditorium stage. Students modeled backpacks, thumbed through binders and packets of construction paper, and held containers of hot pink scissors.

The school district has been experiencing a "financial tsunami," said Joe Dixon, principal at James Rhoads.

"It is good to see that this city embodies brotherly love" by donating to the schools, he said.

Brian Johnson, Tilden's principal, said the supplies would help the youngsters at class and at home. It's tough for students when they receive a list of school supplies their family can't afford, he said.

But handing a child a backpack full of needed materials, Johnson said, "settles a student's nerves."

A similar partnership also collected supplies for the Philadelphia School District last year.