Gulf High Student Collecting School Supplies for Kids

Gulf High School student Katrina Enoch is trying to net school supplies for New Port Richey students, and she’s looking for local businesses that want to help.

“I just really want to do it to help out kids who can’t afford supplies,” Enoch said.

Enoch would like to find some businesses willing to host drop-off boxes in which people can leave donations of new and unused supplies. The donations would go to Gulf Middle, Cotee River Elementary and James Marlowe Elementary schools.

Enoch is 17 and entering her senior year at Gulf High. She's an international baccalaureate student.

This isn’t her first community involvement effort. She was one of a group of French Honor Society students at Gulf High School who went to . She also organizes movie nights at the New Port Richey Public Library.

When Enoch was a junior,  “I noticed that there were kids in my classes who didn’t have school supplies throughout the year."

She said she’s seen a student turn in a new assignment on the back of a graded assignment because the student didn’t have paper.

Enoch also attended a recent New Port Richey budget meeting, where she heard statistics about poverty in the city.

“I’m just doing this because I’m really passionate toward education, and I always have been,” she said.

This is the biggest project Enoch has ever undertaken under her own initiative. She tried going to retailers first to ask about leaving drop-off boxes there but was told the store managers had to get permission from their corporate headquarters. Some retailers already support other donation drives.

So now she she’s turning to local businesses to see who will host boxes and is s. She is planning to hold her drive through Aug. 19, the day before school starts.

"Right now, anything will just make me do a happy dance," she said.

Want to help out? Contact Katrina at krenoch@gmail.com.

Sigi's Place, a downtown businesss in New Port Richey, has volunteered to be the first drop-off location.  You at 6214 Grand Blvd, New Port Richey., starting Aug. 6.  The business is offering 10 percent off any purchase to anyone who drops off any items for this school supply drive.

See a list of items sought here: