How to Help Students Get the School Supplies They Need

As students head back to school this fall, many families struggle to afford the clothing, backpacks, and essential supplies children need for a successful school year. For a lot of parents, back-to-school season brings real financial stress. Costs can add up fast, and for many families, it’s simply more than their budget allows.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to help. If you’re looking for a way to serve in your community, back-to-school projects offer a meaningful opportunity to support local students and families.

Helping students with school-related needs doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few ways you can make a difference:

• Donate clothing: Check with schools in your area to see if you can donate clothes directly to them. You can also donate clothes to local thrift stores.
• Donate school supplies: Reach out to local schools to see what items they need for their students to learn successfully. You can also ask teachers what items are needed in their classrooms.
• Volunteer your time: Donations make a significant impact, but schools and students often need in-person help too. Consider volunteering at a school, mentoring a student, or helping at a back-to-school event.

In North Phoenix, members of the community packed snack bags for students facing food insecurity. During this two-day event, over 100 volunteers packed 18,000 snack bags for students throughout 21 school districts in Arizona.

These bags have a variety of snacks and uplifting notes to give hope to children in the community. The bags are delivered to schools and picked up by students at the end of the school day so they can take them home and have snacks for the rest of their day.

Ready to pitch in? Find service opportunities related to school or education near and see how you can help. Type in “Elementary School” in the projects search bar of filter by “education” or “youth and children” to find projects near you.