It’s not even August, it’s sweltering outside and I’m still taking kids to the pool — but have you seen the stores lately? Halloween décor abounds, along with pumpkins and fall leaves. And if you look on higher shelves, you’re likely to see Christmas merchandise.
Don’t get me wrong — I love fall. In fact, it’s my favorite season of the year, but before we get to pumpkin spice, leaves turning and costumes, there’s one more “season” we need to prepare for: back-to-school.
Schools will be welcoming children soon, and for some families, this can be a very stressful time. Buying backpacks, supplies, clothes and shoes and paying school fees can really strain a family budget. Back-to-school can be a stressful time financially for teachers, too.
Many school districts, if not all of them, have adopt-a-classroom opportunities, both formal and informal. You can find teacher wish lists on Amazon, DonorsChoose, TeacherLists and other platforms.
Additionally, a number of schools in Utah now have in-school food pantries that need food donations, as well as clothing donations and hygiene kits. Additionally, the Utah Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry distributed food at 72 school sites last year, reaching more than 246,000 children.
If you are inclined to help a family or two (or 10) as they get ready to send their children back to school, there are a number of organizations in addition to your local school that are collecting donations. Here are a few:
Stuff the Bus
For 15 years, United Way of Salt Lake City has been “stuffing the bus” to help provide school supplies for students along the Wasatch Front. This year, their goal is to provide supplies for over 10,000 students. In addition to collecting supplies, they are also collecting cash donations to purchase supplies in bulk.
Granite Education Foundation
The Granite Education Foundation helps students and educators. They are collecting new clothing, lice kits, hygiene kits, backpacks, school supplies, food supplies and more. The highest-need items right now include backpacks, erasers, glue sticks, colored pencils, highlighters, pencils, pens and college-ruled loose leaf paper.
Salt Lake Education Foundation
The highest-need items for the Salt Lake Education Foundation right now are nonperishable food items, including tuna, granola bars, refried beans, sugar, salt, applesauce and pancake mix, as well as laundry detergent, shampoo and conditioner, toilet paper, paper towels, and diapers.
Back 2 School Basics
Back 2 School Basics meets the needs of families in Summit and Wasatch counties, serving roughly 1400 students from Summit County, Wasatch County, and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation in Ibapah, Utah. Each participating child receives a $100 gift card to spend at Junction Commons, a new backpack and school supplies of their choosing. Donors can drop off items or schedule a pick-up.
Tabitha’s Way
Tabitha’s Way North in Utah County is collecting backpacks and school supplies for students in Alpine School District. A Facebook post from last week noted that they still needed 200 to hit their goal of collecting a total of 2,000. They are located at 675 W. Garden Drive, Suite 100 in Pleasant Grove.
GRANDfamilies
GRANDfamilies is a program of Children’s Service Society of Utah, with multiple locations around the state. They are hoping to collect several hundred filled backpacks for kinship families. At a minimum, each backpack should be filled with five pencils, five pens, two erasers, five eraser toppers, two notebooks, one glue stick, one pencil bag or box, and one pack of crayons or colored pencils. Donors are also invited to include books and other items that are helpful for students to have.
Utah Refugee Connection
Utah Refugee Connection is collecting 3,000 new, sturdy backpacks for refugee students. Drop-offs are accepted at 3134 S. 300 E., South Salt Lake, Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Deadline: July 30.)
South Valley Services
South Valley Services is launching its annual Back-to-School Giving Campaign to support survivors of domestic violence and their children. The campaign invites the community to donate gift cards and purchase items from a curated Amazon Wishlist — allowing families to shop for school essentials that best fit their needs and styles.
The campaign runs from July 28 to August 17, with donation bins available at South Valley Services’ Resource Center and Advocacy Center in Tooele. Supporters can donate gift cards (Target, Walmart, Amazon) or shop from the Amazon Wishlist.
Little Lambs Foundation for Kids
Little Lambs Foundation for Kids is collecting new backpacks, school supplies and period supplies for children in foster care and low-income families in Logan through August 10th. Drop-off Location: 1125 W 400 N Suite 200 in Logan or shop online.