a question about bringing school supplies

We are planning on bringing some school supplies/and things to give out. With our wonderful airlines and their bag charges,
I'm limited to size and weight and have to pay for every bag we bring :( So my thoughts - I bring an old suitcase with whatever I
can get in it and then just leave it for someone since I won't need to bring it back. Or.. is there a store I can just buy some things at
when I get there? I'm just thinking I could put the extra money into supplies instead of giving it to the airline. Any thoughts would be
appreciated!? It was sooo much easier when they let me bring whatever bags I wanted to for free!

Stop at the Megamart in MoBay and use the money for more supplies!

You could stop in Mobay or go to Sav for school supplies. They are not expensive but many families just can't afford them, plus paying for school, taxis, food and other bills.

stay tuned......

i JUST copy & pasted your query and emailed my Lucea/Ja-mentor, who is/was a Ja-teacher.

today, or Monday/Tuesday at the latest, i'll probably get a response from her ----- which i'll post for your consideration.

below/following is the text of My-additional-query re same.
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saturday afternoon

Ms.xxxxxxxx ~~ below is text from a tourist message board regarding bringing/buying-on-island school supplies to give away/hand-out/etc.

what would you suggest to bring..??..


where on-island, between MoBay airport & Negril that they go to purchase stuff..??..


if purchased on-island, what do you suggest they purchase..??..


vaguely i recall a book store being in MoBay near the bus park ... is it still there..??.. Is this still a good place to shop for school supplies..??.

any other suggestions you may have is appreciated.

a couple of suggestions

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on your way to Negril,
STOP in Lucea
and GO to-shop at one or all of these places:::::
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1...The Rainbow shop/store ---- this is a Chinaman 5 & dime (e.g., KMart-like, Ja-stylee) store, where you can get some school supplies, that have been PROVEN to *work* well in and for Jamaica's style, system, environment, etc. The products are ideal for the Ja-student's use, and priced SIGNIFICANTly cheaper (and of a higher-quality) than any thing you'll get in-foreign. [[[located on the One-Way]]

2...Hurry Hurry (aka Sinclair's) ---- a Ja-department store type operation, with a few school supplies. But more importantly, they sell school uniform items, which are VERY important, and Ja-school-appropriate shoes & socks. Again price & quality is superb, for Jamaica. [[[located on Millers Drive]]]

3...___???____ (can't remember the name of store) ----- there's another relative-ly *new* store/haberdashery on the Lucea One-Way, which sells school supplies, uniforms, etc. Once in Lucea, just ask somebody --- they'll know where you should go to purchase whatever you want. The school stuff is on the second floor. [[[located at the end of One-Way, on the corner, near Mr.BrownsHardware, across from the gas station]]]

Making purchases of items in quantity will incur significant discounts on you final check-out bill:::: at least 10% (probably more). For example, purchasing a case of exercise-books would be an EXCELLENT gift item.:::::: a bulk purchase of pens, pencils, etc. a good idea too.

an aside::>> dunno why, but I've found that from-foreign ball point pens don't work so-well in Jamaica.

to give you an *idea*, something to think-about/consider,
to *demonstrate* the cost-benefit of making your purchases IN Jamaica, rather than bringing from foreign::::>>>>

this last trip,
2-weeks ago,
for myself, i purchased THREE pair of short-ankle-socks (usually for school children)::::>>>> cost::>> 3-pair @ Ja$150

these socks are WONDER-FULL..!!....
better than ANYthing i could/would find in-foreign.

they're strong, and well made
light weight, therefore they dry QUICKLY, which is VERY important (for Jamaica), because of the dampness, humidity, and other tropical wetness issues.

if/when you bring clothing thing-ys down there to give away, keep in mind that folks would prefer things that dry quickly on the cloths line::::: ideally things that will dry within 3-4 hours (or less).

last week,
my Lucea-host was complaining,
as he washed some very-NICE bed sheets that somebody *gave* him:::: hard to wash; to thick (e.g., high thread count); took long time to dry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by smith744

stay tuned......

i JUST copy & pasted your query and emailed my Lucea/Ja-mentor, who is/was a Ja-teacher.

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below ( a cut & paste ) email-list
from my Lucea/Ja-mentor ( a Ja-teacher )
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Schools are always in need of supplies such as:

Paper glue
scissors
crayons
markers - permanent, fine, broad. May need for white board if present at school
pens
pencils
staplers
staples
papers - various types
thumb tacks
charts
rulers - various lengths
lettering stencils
paper punch
Glitters
Cartridge Paper
Water colour paints

Yes! there is a book store (Sangsters) near the bus park in Montego Bay.
However, United Sales on Union Street next to American Eye wear offers better prices though.

Thanks so much for your replies!! Smith thank you for such detail - very helpful and much appreciated! A lot of that stuff I can bring from home fairly
cheap - is kind of what I've tried to bring on other trips. I also would like to get books and things more personal. What are "exercise books"? Are they work
books for use in school?

mamade11, funny time on you starting this thread. We just got back from buying a $8.00 suitcase at Savers and filling it with $80 of school supplies.....some soccer balls and jump ropes as well. "5 Below" has soccer balls for $5! Ive brought school supplies down for several years with only a few complaints....School kids need the safety rounded tip scissors and pencils/colored pencils need sharpeners.....bought 30 sharpeners tonight for $3.

Also, reach out to St Vincent's soup kitchen to see what they need for the kids. As of this afternoon it was black socks and black belts.....

Oh and bless yah for thinking of bringing stuff!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mamade11

What are "exercise books"? Are they work
books for use in school?

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'cause the school-supply query pops-up sooooo often,
i did this video (below) a couple years ago

my commentary therein is still apro-poo(sp?)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHd9Ny54QUk
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Bless you for wanting to bring school items, they are needed by many! St. Anthony's Kitchen has a programme called Get Kids to School (GKTS) and there are many children needing various items.

Our Top Ten List (from Fadder Jimaica):

Money (for the Kitchen—the ongoing need to purchase food & supplies never ends—the Kitchen itself costs about USD$5,000/month to operate)
Children ages 4-12, boys & girls:

- underwear
- socks (black & brown)
- school shoes (black & brown)

Hygiene items (toothpaste, brushes, soap, etc.)

School supplies:
pencils, pens, crayons, notebooks, erasers, rulers, lined paper, back packs/book bags, etc
Children’ toys/games (Christmas is coming)

Flip flops – all sizes (they call them slippers in JA)

Many thanks and blessings!
St. Anthony's Kitchen

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eco

mamade11, funny time on you starting this thread. We just got back from buying a $8.00 suitcase at Savers and filling it with $80 of school supplies.....some soccer balls and jump ropes as well. "5 Below" has soccer balls for $5! Ive brought school supplies down for several years with only a few complaints....School kids need the safety rounded tip scissors and pencils/colored pencils need sharpeners.....bought 30 sharpeners tonight for $3.

Also, reach out to St Vincent's soup kitchen to see what they need for the kids. As of this afternoon it was black socks and black belts.....

Oh and bless yah for thinking of bringing stuff!

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Eco - funny story on pencils. The first time I brought supplies I took a bunch of pencils and colored pencils. When I gave them to the person taking me to the school - they asked where the sharpeners were! Oops, not I always bring sharpeners.

I like all of your ideas - I never thought of 5 below and have one 5 minutes away! Thanks for your additional ideas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by St. Anthony's Kitchen

Bless you for wanting to bring school items, they are needed by many! St. Anthony's Kitchen has a programme called Get Kids to School (GKTS) and there are many children needing various items.

Our Top Ten List (from Fadder Jimaica):

Money (for the Kitchen—the ongoing need to purchase food & supplies never ends—the Kitchen itself costs about USD$5,000/month to operate)
Children ages 4-12, boys & girls:

- underwear
- socks (black & brown)
- school shoes (black & brown)

Hygiene items (toothpaste, brushes, soap, etc.)

School supplies:
pencils, pens, crayons, notebooks, erasers, rulers, lined paper, back packs/book bags, etc
Children’ toys/games (Christmas is coming)

Flip flops – all sizes (they call them slippers in JA)

Many thanks and blessings!
St. Anthony's Kitchen

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St. Anthony's

My school supplies are spoken for :) But I think I can fit in some toothbrushes, paste and other items that I can bring over to you.
I so wish I could bring 5 suitcases!! Darn airlines!
I also like Smith's suggestions - I'm going to try to find some exercise books when we get there.

Is there a morning I could come over and maybe help with something?

Dollar tree has 10-20 sharpeners for a dollar..... Not sure how good they are yet. In reference to 5 below, I hate to donate crappy stuff but it's hard to figure out what is overpriced at normal stores and what is garbage.

More

What I have been doing over the years - I am into coupons and clearance sales! Staples, CVS and Walmart run crazy specials and free items before school starts. Since my kids are older now, I do all of the sales and giveaways and save the stuff for my trips :) I usually have quite a nice stock pile by the time the next trip comes along.

School supplies are always needed. There is no question that you can get many things much cheaper in the US (Dollar Tree, etc.) than here, especially when they have sales. Buying a bag and filling it with supplies is frequently done and you pay the cost. So it goes. And some folks like shopping for the goods and carrying them here--it's more personal, if you will! The other alternative is to shop here and some suggestions have been made as to where. If you are a tourist coming on vacation it is not always so easy to stop at Mega Mart in MoBay or some store in Lucea. You can always shop at Talrich here in Negril. They have lots of supplies. As was mentioned earlier, St. Anthony's Kitchen has a programme where we furnish supplies to children on a regular basis. We get donated items and we shop in Sav at Bashco. You can always give us the money and we will do the shopping for you--or we could even carry you to the store. Are we trustworthy? We are beyond reproach--ask anyone in Negril who knows us or works with us.

And if you are interested in helping children beyond a one time shot we would welcome your support. The start of the school year (September) is a big time for getting kids ready for school; uniforms, shoes, socks, underwear, school supplies, backpacks, books and so on--big expense for most families. Last year we helped outfit over 100 children for school and it's a big expense for us too. We do this solely through the help of benefactors. We would welcome your support. --Fadder Jim