YWCA is enlisting sponsors this week for its School Days drive for donated backpacks and school supplies to distribute to more than 1,000 students in King and Snohomish counties.

Children who will receive the supplies are from families that are homeless, jobless or striving to become r self-sufficient, according to YWCA.

“This is a perfect opportunity for families that need to shop for school anyway to do something together to help others,” said Renee Timothy, School Days program coordinator. “It’s easy to adopt a needy student the same age as your own child and buy two of everything. Together, you can pick out a cool backpack and stuff it with school supplies.”

Another option, she said, is to donate $40 to cover the costs of a new backpack filled with school supplies for one student, and let YWCA do the shopping.

Timothy said sponsors should contact the YWCA by this Friday, and all donations should be delivered to the YWCA by Aug. 20, in time for the first day of school.

Prospective sponsors can sign up or get more information at www.ywcaworks.org. They can also contact Timothy at (425) 226-1266 (extension) 1024

“We appreciate the public’s support, because it helps homeless and low-income children go back to school with confidence and ready to learn,” Timothy said.