The South Whidbey Family Resource Center needs school supplies for middle school and high school students.

Wanted items include pencils, notebooks, paper, calculators, markers, glue sticks and folders. Gail LaVassar, executive director of Readiness To Learn Foundation, said the typical school supply list costs $100. South Whidbey grocery stores have school supplies in stock.

“We don’t have extra money to just go buy those extra supplies,” LaVassar said.

For the past few years, the Back To School Project received about 150 fully supplied backpacks from Boeing. LaVassar said those packs aren’t coming this year. Webb’s Department Store and JanSport donated 150 backpacks, and LaVassar said the greater void is supplies.

The FRC helps between 225 and 250 students every year. By Thursday, the center supplied 94 children and had a waiting list of 102 that increases every day.

Contributions may be left in bins at businesses around South Whidbey.

Financial assistance can be mailed to Back To School Project, PO Box 346, Langley, WA 98260. The FRC has a goal to make up the difference, about $15,000.

LaVassar said she’s confident community support will go a long way to reducing that deficit.

“This community is very generous,” she said. “If people could donate early, rather than later, that would be helpful.”