Across the state, students and staff members are preparing to go back to school. With them, they’ll bring hundreds of dollars of new supplies from pens to folders to earbuds.
However, the rising cost of school supplies can make it difficult for some families and teachers to keep up with the demands and ensure a classroom is fully stocked with everything students need to be successful for the year. That’s why Acadiana organizations are stepping up to collect and distribute donations of school supplies.
“Teachers are the backbone of our community,” said Marissa Winters, United Way of Acadiana director of community impact. “We want to help with that financial burden of purchasing classroom supplies.”
Donated school supplies are stacked on a table as volunteers organize them to be delivered to St. Martin, Acadia and Vermilion Parishes for teachers to receive and use in their classrooms Friday, August 13, 2021, at the United Way of Acadiana warehouse in Lafayette, La.
United Way of Acadiana has spearheaded the Stuff the Bus campaign for more than 10 years. Forty businesses across Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin and Vermilion parishes served as collection sites for supplies this year. The donations were sorted, and teachers in each parish “shopped” for what they needed.
Last year, more than 350 teachers participated. Each was able to take about $250-$300 in supplies, Winters said. She hopes more teachers — and bus drivers — will take advantage of the shopping days this year.
Educators spend between $500 and $750 of their own money on school supplies for their students, according to the National Education Association.
Additionally, households are projected to spend about $874 on back-to-school supplies, including electronics and clothing, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s slightly down from last year, when households spent about $890, but is about $200 more than 10 years ago.
Volunteers Rachelle Picard, from right, Eric Marter and Annette Corzine organize school supplies to be delivered to St. Martin, Acadia and Vermilion Parishes for teachers to receive and use in their classrooms Friday, August 13, 2021, at the United Way of Acadiana warehouse in Lafayette, La.
Winters said it’s heartwarming to watch educators stroll through the piles of supplies and gather what they need for their students. Especially when longtime staffers talk about the number of students they’ve been able to interact with over the decades.
While Stuff the Bus serves educators, other supply drives have also recognized a need and directly benefit Lafayette and Acadiana families.
Lafayette City Marshall Reggie Thomas hosts the fourth annual Drive-Thru Backpack Giveaway 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at Destiny of Faith Church on Patterson Street. With aid from his deputies, Thomas will be handing out clear backpacks filled with supplies — free of charge to families in need.
The first backpack giveaway was established when the Lafayette Parish School Board mandated students use clear or mesh backpacks. Thomas said he recognized the hardships this might cause for low-income families, especially those who had already purchased bags. He decided to do something about it with the help of community sponsors such as the Stuller Family Foundation and Assurance Insurance.
Volunteer Rachelle Picard organizes school supplies to be delivered to St. Martin, Acadia and Vermilion Parishes for teachers to receive and use in their classrooms Friday, August 13, 2021, at the United Way of Acadiana warehouse in Lafayette, La. Logan Hensgens Pearce, volunteer and community engagement manager for United Way of Acadiana, said that over 20,000 school supplies were donated this year through their annual Stuff the Bus campaign. United Way will hold a school supply shopping day for Lafayette Parish teachers next Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m.
“This year, I made a goal of 600 backpacks,” Thomas said. “We have surpassed that, and we’ll have about 700 backpacks to give out. This is going to be a really big year for us.”
Although it’s a drive-thru, Thomas recognizes that not everyone has a vehicle. Walk-ups are accepted, as long as a student is present.
“Not one person I give a bag to doesn’t say ‘thank you,’” Thomas said. “That’s all we expect. If we get a ‘thank you,’ I think everybody feels good about it. This is something I’ll continue to do and hopefully year after year we get larger and larger.”
Another back-to-school bash from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 4, at the Domingue Recreation Center on Mudd Avenue offers free school supplies, free haircuts and free health screenings. It’s hosted by Healthy Blue, Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center and Lafayette Consolidated Government.
It’s a community effort that makes Stuff the Bus — and other supply drives — possible, Winters said.
“It’s the amazing number of businesses who are committed to saying ‘yes’ to collecting donations. It’s the amazing volunteers who came in to collect the supplies and sort them and help on shopping days,” Winters said. “There’s just so much that goes into this and it tugs at your heart strings.”