Over 3,500 immigrant youth and children are starting their first school year in Israel on the right foot thanks to the "Making the Grade" initiative of the Jewish Agency. They are able to choose and stock up on school bags and supplies from Office Depot, a leading stationery and office supplies chain.

Included among the recipients are 515 Ethiopian immigrant children from Kiryat Gat who received the supplies courtesy of JUF Chicago - Kiryat Gat-Lachish-Shafir's Partnership community.

The children and youth, first to twelfth grade students, live in Jewish Agency absorption centers throughout the country.  Using a magnetic card worth hundreds of shekels, they enjoy shopping with their parents while learning about Israeli consumerism, product quality and price comparisons.  Funds for the children were donated by the UJC through various Jewish Federations, as well as the Fund for Youth At Risk.

As the Jewish Agency’s emergency summer camps are winding down, children from the North are still suffering from trauma. The Jewish Agency stepped in so that 13,000 children, referred by the social services, received school bags and supplies from Office Depot. A contribution of $500,000 from the Jewish Federation of Philadelphia and the Fund for stipends was donated for this purpose.