Only a few weeks ago we wrote about a variety of summer projects by Junior Leagues; but, with the first day of school only weeks or even days away for most kids, the focus for many Leagues now is helping children whose families need a little help in buying much needed supplies before the first day of school.

Since joining The Junior League in 2009, the Junior League of San Joaquin County has provided more than 3,000 backpacks, supplies and books to students in need through its Ready to Learn program. Each year, JLSJC’s Community Service Committee reviews the current needs of the schools it serves and meets with community and education leaders to discuss the program and find creative ways to involve members with the children they are assisting.

Working with the Citizens Caring for Children, the Junior League of Oklahoma City’s annual back to school project promotes literacy by setting up a store-like environment to provide new school supplies to eligible foster children in the Oklahoma City area. JLOC volunteers set up a fun and exciting shopping environment for eligible foster children, including helping them pick out supplies organized and purchased by the League.

The Junior League of Tallahassee’s annual Kids’ Boutique provides a backpack, school supplies and a $150 shopping spree at Kohl’s for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade who have been chosen for the boutique by their guidance counselors. The event, which costs about $14,000 to put on, has been has been held for 17 years and is funded by local businesses and JLT’s Whale of a Sale garage sale.

The Junior League of Las Vegas, in partnership with NV Energy, offers educational grants of up to $1,000 to teachers in Clark County to enable them to develop and implement projects that enrich the education of their students. More than $30,000 in grants was awarded in the 2010-2011 school year for a wide range of ideas, including a community garden, eating well, rocketry, Shakespeare, math, literacy, personal finance, health & fitness, sign language, and second languages. Since 1985, JLNV has contributed about $480,000 to Clark County schools to fund classroom initiatives.

For eight years, the Junior League of Little Rock’s Stuff the Bus committee has loaded trucks with basic school supplies for over 3,000 children in seven area schools. JLLR supports the program through its regular fund-raising programs as well as through funding from Wal-Mart, Bank of America & 3M.

Finally, the Junior League of Huntsville’s Operation Education is more than just a back-to-school program. Current activities include bringing back-to-school supplies to tornado-affected schools, assisting the Arts Council of Huntsville with a creative teaching workshop, hosting a teacher school supply drive in conjunction with Pump It Up! ofHuntsville, and exploring college prep programs for high school students and their parents.