Demand for free school supplies is up across the USA, reflecting deepening hardships caused by the weak economy, social service groups say.
Shepherd Community Center, an inner-city Indianapolis ministry, dispensed 2,500 backpacks stuffed with supplies last year. This year it’s giving away 3,200.
“There’s more of a demand than we can fill,” says executive director Jay Height. “The economy is hitting us hard.”
Donations were down for this year’s school supplies giveaway at Lake Cities Food Pantry in Texas. The pantry chipped in $500 to cover costs, says coordinator Renee Grems. “Everybody’s feeling a little stretched.”
School supplies for my two kids will be around $110 this year. And my beef is this. At the beginning of the year I buy the four spiral notebooks, three boxes of crayola crayons 24 ct, etc. And last year when school was out my kid came home with a composition book that had barely been written in. Several of the spiral notebooks had barely been used. Just last nite I pieced together the required number of crayons from a box full of them and most of them have never been used. (They are left over from last year). It really eats into the budget!
I was doing some community service work with our church on Saturday, cleaning out the yards of some trailer homes (for the 4th month in a row). It never ceases to amaze me how much material stuff (toys primarily) I see accumulated, and how there is almost always a satellite dish.
So while I realize there are people in need of school supplies, I also wonder how how else they are spending their money……
I was able to get packs of filler paper (150 count) for as low as .15 cents this year. There was a limit of 5 per customer, but they were allowing customers to leave and then re-enter the store to buy more.
At the same sale, 2-pocket prong folders were one cent; protractors were 5, calculators were 6.99 with a 6.99 mail in rebate. and plenty of buy one get one for a penny deals.
Plus other stores are doing this as well. Crayons for .25 a pack, glue for .39 a bottle, etc.
You CAN get away very cheaply if you look at the sales pages. If you can’t afford the paper — the library subscribes!
Jim Elliott <><
One of the outreach ministries for our congregation is to partner with a local agency that deals with families and youth in crisis, which includes a couple of group homes of troubled teens.
This summer we collected school supplies for the agency and offered boxes and boxes of paper, pens, etc. at the altar a couple of Sundays ago. Their appreciation was quite something. Some other parishes may want to think about something like this for an outreach ministry.
We homeschool. We have budgeted $2,000 this year for our two children. We also pay the full amount in property tax to the town, paying for everyone else’s children.
“Free” school supplies would be paid for out of the town budget…that is, out of my tax dollars. They aren’t free. It never ceases to amaze me how willing people are to reach into my back pocket and take money from my children to support what ever happens to be the cause de jur. We are a middle class family. We can’t afford anymore “free” stuff from the government. Please, stop.
BTW, we do not have cable or satellite TV. We cancelled over a year ago.
#6 I don’t have a satellite dish either. And we live very modestly I think. We own one car (older model) very rarely eat out, So far this year I’ve purchased one item of clothing for myself (it was Easter and I was feeling festive!). I will have to take library jim’s advice and look for some sales. Oh, and I located some of those hardly used sprial notebooks . . . they will be going back to school this year! Along w/one partially used bottle of Elmer’s glue.
Carol,
Several national business office chains (Staples, Office Depot, Office Max) have announced one cent sales this week. Again, there are limits, but a bottle of glue for a penny? Worth giving change to every family member and all standing in line with their glue, rulers, pencil sharpeners, etc.
Happy Shopping!
Jim E. <><