August is officially here, meaning summer is coming to a close, and the new school year is about to begin. Parents across the country are looking through the weekly ads and planning a shopping trip for all the necessary supplies. Unfortunately, the struggle to purchase all the essential school supplies for each child is a familiar struggle for many families. Every year, many families across the U.S. struggle with the cost of school supplies. 

Many parents nationwide are left with the terrible situation of figuring out how to prepare their kids for the upcoming school year. According to Fortune Magazine, back-to-school shopping costs are the second-largest for families behind shopping during the holiday season. Shopping in 2022 is even more challenging as decades-high inflation costs create problems for families struggling to make ends meet. If you are looking for ways to give back to your community and support children and teachers in need, donating school supplies is a fantastic way to help.

When you donate school supplies, you are helping students obtain the tools and materials they need to learn throughout the school year. Suppose classrooms do not have the necessary tools to teach different subjects effectively. In that case, children can fall behind and fall short of where they should be in academics. At the same time, donating school supplies helps relieve the stress and financial burdens for the teachers of these students. When students don’t have supplies, it often falls on the teachers to pay for the materials out of their pocket. Below is information on where you can donate school supplies and what materials are in demand.

Where to Donate 

Local School Supply Drives

School districts often host school supply drives in late summer or early fall, especially in lower-income areas. Visit your city’s district website and see where they are accepting donations and if there are any specific items they need. Also, keep an eye out when you’re at your local library, retail stores, grocery stores, churches, and other community organizations. These locations often have bins near the front entrance for people to drop off supplies.

Your Child’s Classroom or School

Whether you have children in school or not, another way to help those less fortunate is by donating supplies to a nearby school. It doesn’t matter if it’s a preschool, elementary school, middle school, or high school; they will be happily accepting new school supplies. Contact your nearby school or your child’s teacher for information on which school supplies they need the most this year.

Kids in Need Foundation

The mission of the Kids in Need Foundation is to provide the necessary support for teachers to teach and learners to learn in underserved areas. The organization works with companies and other organizations to set up school supply fundraisers. They also help local authorities and schools collect supplies in the aftermath of a natural disaster. To donate or learn more about the organization, go to www.kinf.org 

United Way

United Way believes we all have a stake in each other’s success. The organization improves lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities worldwide to advance the common good. The various United Way locations each year accept school supply donations for their respective communities. The type of supplies they ask for and receive depends on the needs of that specific community. To find out which supplies are needed in your area, go to www.unitedway.org/find-your-united-way  

What Supplies to Donate

• Writing instruments:

  • Pencils

  • Pens

  • Pencil sharpeners

  • Erasers

  • Highlighters

  • Sharpies

• Spiral notebooks

• Composition notebooks

• Post-it notes

• Notecards/lined index cards

• Tape

• Staples & staplers

• Art supplies:

  • Crayons

  • Glue and glue sticks

  • Lined notebook paper

  • Construction paper

  • Markers

  • Colored pencils

  • Scissors

• High-quality backpacks

• Lunch boxes

• Calculators – check first to find out what type of calculators would be appropriate for the students’ ages

• Hygiene & cleaning products:

  • Antibacterial wipes

  • Facial tissues

  • Hand sanitizer

  • Paper towels

  • Disinfectant spray