Saipan's Public School System and hospital will soon have books, book shelves, linens and toys thanks to local groups and agencies.

The surplus items come from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Shriner's Hospital, Moanalua High School and Waikiki hotels.

Some 19 book shelves, 50 boxes of books, 100 boxes of linens and 60 bags of toys will be loaded into Island Movers containers and shipped free by Matson, said Glenn Wakai, president of Reach out Pacific (REPAC), which is organizing the shipment.

"Despite Hawai'i's current economic struggles, we live in a state of great prosperity compared to our Pacific neighbors," Wakai said. "Diverting these useful items from our landfill to an area with desperate needs makes so much sense."

REPAC is a non-profit that ships surplus medical and educational supplies from Hawai'i to other Pacific islands. The organization has sent more than $300,000 worth of goods to islands from American Samoa to the Philippines.