Community Offshore Wind prepared Brooklyn students and teachers to start the school year by providing 300 school supply kits to local students. Kits included a variety of back-to-school essentials, such as backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and binders. Community Offshore Wind worked with teachers at each school to identify their students’ and classrooms’ specific needs.   

These donations were part of Community Offshore Wind’s broader back-to-school donation program, which also provided 300 school supply kits to students on Long Island and 400 to students in New Jersey. In total, the initiative provided 1,000 kits to schools in disadvantaged communities across the region.  

This donation is the latest effort by Community Offshore Wind to support schools and programs that increase access to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, and training programs that provide students from underrepresented communities with the knowledge and skills they will need for jobs in the offshore wind industry. In May, the joint venture partnered with the Brooklyn Public Library to donate 3,200 STEM-focused books to local families living in public housing units.

“The clean energy transition is going to bring tens of thousands of good jobs to New York, including many in the offshore wind industry. The students who are in school now are going to be the workers building our clean energy future in the years to come,” said Doug Perkins, President and Project Director of Community Offshore Wind. “Community Offshore Wind is making sure New York students are ready by investing in programs that will spark a love of science and engineering. We’re committed to building strong, local partnerships that will continue to make a positive difference in the lives of New  Yorkers and prepare them to pursue good-paying careers in offshore wind.”

“While many enjoy the excitement of back-to-school season, for some members of our community it’s a time of intense and oftentimes insurmountable financial stress,” said Andre Richey, Founder and Program Director of New Leader Hoops. “The cost of new school supplies every year can be a significant burden, creating a massive barrier to equitable educational access that hits students in underserved communities especially hard. This donation from Community Offshore Wind will support Brooklyn families and allow our students to focus on their education without being concerned about how they will get the materials they need to excel in the classroom.”

“When it comes to setting students up for success, no one knows what they need better than teachers,” said Anthony Williams, Parent Coordinator at P.S. 307- Daniel Hale Williams Magnet School STEAM Studies. “The fact that Community Offshore Wind not only donated school supplies, but actually took the time to work with our teachers to understand their needs, and their students’ specific needs, and tailor their donation accordingly shows that they are serious about being a partner to Brooklyn communities and are willing to listen to those most in need, so they can make a tangible, real-world difference for our students and families.”

The offshore wind industry in New York is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs across the state, but there is currently a shortage of workers with the skills necessary to qualify for those positions. A recent NYSERDA report found that training individuals from disadvantaged communities will be crucial to filling these gaps in the offshore wind workforce while improving social equity. 

Community Offshore Wind’s STEM education programs are addressing this skills gap by sparking a love of science among students from underrepresented communities and equipping them with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in offshore wind and other STEM-related jobs.

Since its launch in 2022, Community Offshore Wind has been an active and engaged neighbor to New York communities. The project has funded field trips for more than 140 New York students to local museums, donated 900 coats to families in need during the winter months, and provided 30,000 fresh seafood meals to food banks throughout the state.