Local groups hope to ease pocketbook pain with shopping for school supplies
Time is running out to check off those back-to-school supply lists. Inflation is soaring, and this year the items on those lists are pricier. Local organizations are seeking donations to help kids get ready to return to class.
Back-to-school shopping is one of the largest expenses for families. Parents like Hanifah Chiku, with three kids in Denver Public Schools, will spend hundreds.
"Backpacks have gone up. Before you could get ones like for $7. Now they start at $12 and those are the basic one. The notebooks have gone up and pencils, pens, everything. It's gotten really pricey," said Chiku.
According to Deloitte's Back to School survey, parents will spend around $661 per child on back-to-school items. That's up 8% from last year.
"You want to make sure your kids have everything they need to go to school. Not giving them what they need sometimes makes you feel that they're not being provided for and inadequate. The reality is you have to make do with the best you can," said Chiku.
Organizations like the Struggle of Love Foundation are helping families make ends meet with a backpack drive on Aug.13. The backpacks are filled with basic school supplies for different grades.
"Inflation has really soared. That is an added pressure this coming year for a lot of the educators. They're really worried about their students not having the necessary items to be successful," Lynn King Jackson with the Struggle of Love Foundation.
Jackson, who is also a retired teacher, says sending kids back prepared can be a major confidence boost. She expects the backpacks to go quickly this year.
"We're going to try to support as many families that are in need. They'll be able to walk in their classroom with a smile, knowing that they have their necessary items," Jackson.
"Denver is a really good example of different organizations seeing the need and working to help resolve the need. I think it's great when community comes together, because it shows the kids we all work together to make things happen," said Chiku. "I think the pandemic has shown people, there's no problem with asking for help. Nobody's going to judge you. There are people who want to help."
Find more information about school supply drives in Denver.
