Oak Park Township school supply drive accepting donations through July 31

Oak Park Township is collecting school supplies for local students, and the deadline to donate is Friday, July 31.

The township's Youth and Family Services department is running the drive, giving residents two ways to contribute: shop the township's Amazon Wish List online or drop off supplies in person at the Oak Park Township office, 105 S. Oak Park Ave. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Oak Park Police Department amplified the drive on X on Friday, July 24, urging residents to donate and noting that contributions could make a meaningful difference for students and families.

An annual effort

This is not a new initiative. Oak Park Township described the drive as its "6th Annual OPRF Youth and Family Services School Supplies Drive" in a June 2024 post, putting its origins around 2019. In prior years, the township has set specific goals such as collecting 400 notebooks for Oak Park and River Forest students and accepted donations at both the township office and park district locations.

The most recent full-year data, drawn from the township's FY 2025–26 annual report included in a River Forest Public Library Board packet, shows the drive distributed 307 backpacks, 1,000 school supplies, and 1,000 hygiene items to local students between April 2025 and March 2026.

Part of a larger student support network

The supply drive is one piece of a larger Youth and Family Services operation. The department served 76 unique clients in FY 2025–26, logging 980 sessions across Oak Park and River Forest. It enrolled 146 girls in its Girls on the Rise program and 41 boys in Boys on the Rise. The River Forest Public Library Board voted in June 2026 to approve an intergovernmental agreement with Oak Park Township for the Youth Engagement Program through 2028, with a total first-year program budget of $419,770 across the township and partner agencies.

Youth and Family Services also maintains a Youth Hygiene Closet and offers financial assistance scholarships for youth who cannot afford program fees.