The YWCA’s School Days program is ready to roll one month before school starts.

The program relies on donated backpacks and school supplies to distribute the items to more than 1,000 students participating in YWCA programs aiding families who are homeless, jobless or striving for self-sufficiency.

“This is a perfect opportunity for families who need to shop for school anyway to do something together to help others,” says Renee Timothy, YWCA 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.

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

There are several ways to participate in the program:

• Sponsor a student and use your personal touch to shop for a backpack and school supplies.

• Let the YWCA do the shopping by donating $40 to cover the costs of a new backpack filled with school supplies for one student.

• Get friends, family and co-workers together to sponsor a child or do a drive to collect school supplies.

Sponsors should contact the YWCA by Aug. 8, and all donations should be delivered to the YWCA by Aug. 20, so students can receive their new items before the first day of school.

To sign up or for information, visit the Web site at www.ywcaworks.org or contact:

• East King County: Brenda McCallon, (425) 556-1354

• South King County and Seattle: Renee Timothy, (425) 226-1266, ext. 1024

• Snohomish County: Luanne Kunz, (425) 258-2766, ext. 150.