School districts in the Quad Cities are racing to collect as many crayons, notebooks, and backpacks as possible before the school year starts next month.
The First Day Project is a joint-effort between 11 area school districts trying to stock up on supplies to help their neediest kids.
Dawn Saul from the Davenport School District says the goal is to end the embarrassment some students might feel on the first day of school.
"If you can think to how nervous you were on your first day some years and you had to walk into the classroom and the teacher says take out your pen and your notebook and you look around and you're the only one who does not have a pen or a notebook, you can see the impact very clearly on a student."
Saul says last year the community donated 55,000 items to her district alone.
The First Day Project has set up numerous drop-off locations and will begin counting this year's items within the next couple of weeks, but donations are accepted year-round.