With school starting at the end of the month for all of Hawai'i's 256 public schools, several community groups are asking for donations of school supplies for students.

The drives are geared at benefiting homeless students, low-income children and military families.

"With our poor economy it is especially challenging this year for our military families on the homefront to cope with their childrens' school needs while their spouses are deployed," said Eva Laird Smith, Operation Homefront chapter president.

Operation Homefront has been collecting donations of school supplies and backpacks at the Navy Exchange (Aloha Desk) and at Lex Brodie's Queen Street and Pearlridge stores since June 22. The drive will run through July 24.

Supplies needed include No. 2 pencils, red and black ballpoint pens, three-holed wide-ruled binder paper, portfolios with inside bottom pockets, erasers, glue, paper towels, facial tissues, liquid hand soap, boxes of crayons, colored pencils, water color paint sets, composition books, Sharpie permanent markers, yellow highlighters, manila folders and 5- to 6-inch scissors.

At least 300 backpacks will be distributed on July 26 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the O'ahu Veterans center, 1298 Kukila St. Since July 2, families have been able to request backpacks at www.operationhomefront.net/hawaii. For information about this program, click on the back-to-school backpack link.

Other organizations helping keiki with their school supplies include:

• The Wahiawa Lions will accept school supplies or cash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 18 and 25 at the Wahiawa Shopping Center near Longs and at Tamura's Market. Last year the Lions collected more than 800 pounds of supplies and nearly $1,100 in cash to help students in the community.

• The Aloha United Way Society of Young Leaders will collect school supplies through July 31 at all Jamba Juice locations on O'ahu, except on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa location. This is the second year of their drive to benefit homeless students. Last year the group distributed more than $8,500 worth of school supplies to 400 homeless students on O'ahu.