Baystate Mary Lane, Baystate Wing Employees Donate School Supplies

WARE, PALMER — Just before the start of the new school year, Marlene DiLeo, superintendent of Ware Public Schools, and Patricia Gardner, superintendent of Palmer Public Schools, were gifted with more than 1,500 back-to-school items donated by Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital employees. 

Back-to-school shopping is an annual practice for families getting their children ready for a new school year. Rather than let their students go without basics, many teachers spend their own money on school supplies for their classrooms. 

The supplies were the results of the employees’ annual adopt-a-classroom initiative and included folders, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, glue sticks, Post-it Notes, calculators, disinfectant wipes, crayons, and more, said Erin Merriam, director of Human Resources for Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital, adding that “supporting our local schools with these supplies put these tools into the hands of our local teachers and students who need them to succeed.”

Gardner said she was deeply touched by the generosity of the community and the efforts of Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital and their employees. “For a third year, they have provided much-needed school supplies through their school-supply drive. It is beyond words to express how much this relationship means to the Palmer Public Schools.”

Added DiLeo, “the students and staff of Stanley M. Koziol [Elementary School] and Ware Middle School appreciate the donations provided to them by members of the Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital community. Because of the generosity of the hospital staff, students will begin their school year with the supplies needed to support their learning. A heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of them, as their commitment to the schools and community is evident in the many wonderful acts of kindness they do.”