Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Island Park PTA is making sure that local students return to school with the supplies they need, spearheading its first-ever school-supply drive, an effort organizers hope will become an annual tradition.
New, unwrapped school supplies are being collected at several locations throughout the community, including the Island Park Public Library, Island Park Village Hall and Jack’s Pizza. The PTA also has created an Amazon wish list to make donating easier for community members.
Amanda Ruderman, an Island Park mother and PTA member, said the idea arose from the PTA’s desire to find new ways to support local children and families.
“We’ve been trying to identify ways that we can give back to our community and serve every child and be inclusive to every child,” Ruderman said.
Ruderman added that shopping for school supplies can place an added financial strain on families, and the PTA wanted to address a need it had identified.
Last year, Ruderman noticed donation boxes scattered around Island Park but learned they had been established by legislators to serve other communities. She then approached the library about orchestrating a local drive for Island Park students.
The library, village and the pizza shop all agreed to pitch in.
“We’re all trying to just gather school supplies really for the children in our own town,” Ruderman said.
The drive will continue through Sept. 17, when the PTA holds its back-to-school picnic. Community members can bring donations to the picnic as well as the designated drop-off locations.
After the drive concludes, the PTA plans to divide the supplies between Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School, which serves students in kindergarten through the fourth grade, and Lincoln Orens Middle School, which serves students in the fifth through eighth grades.
The supplies will be given to social workers at both schools, who can create a supply bank for students identified as being in need. Teachers may also be able to access the supplies when they notice a student needs an item.
Ruderman said the goal is not only to provide physical supplies but also to reduce stress and help students begin the school year feeling prepared and confident.
“I’m hoping that it’ll take one less burden and make it that much easier for the students and families to be successful,” she said.
She said the PTA’s Amazon wish list was designed to make participation accessible regardless of how much someone can afford to donate. The list includes a variety of supplies in different quantities and price ranges, based on the supply lists provided by the schools.
Ruderman said donations have come from people with and without children in the district, including longtime community members whose own children attended Island Park schools.
The response gained momentum after community leaders helped promote the effort.
J.J. Byrne, president of the board of trustees of the Island Park Public Library, said the library was a natural location for a donation box because of the number of residents who visit the building.
“Ever since we started, we cannot keep up with the amount of donations that are put there,” Byrne said.
Byrne, who attended Island Park’s public schools, said he was particularly enthusiastic about supporting the PTA’s new initiative.
“It’s beautiful to see them doing this and they’re rolling up the sleeves and doing it,” he said. “It’s eye-opening, that there’s people in our community that can’t afford school supplies back to school,” Byrne said.
For him, the effort also demonstrates the importance of local organizations working together.
“You can only do so many great things by yourself,” he said.
For the PTA, the school supply drive is one of several efforts aimed at making the community more supportive and inclusive for local children.
Ruderman said the PTA plans to follow the school supply drive with a Halloween costume collection in October. Gently used costumes will be collected and made available at a school district fall festival, allowing families to exchange costumes as children grow.
“We are just thinking of different ways to be as supportive to everybody as possible,” Ruderman said.
The initiatives reflect the PTA’s broader philosophy and the Island Park School District motto: “Together we are better.”
Ruderman said she hopes the school supply drive will return each year and become a lasting part of the community.
“It really shows the strength of our community,” she said. “I really do feel like this will become the first of, a yearly tradition that we do.”
