Happy August!
Back to school time is in full swing and Jordyn is so ready to go. I'm not gonna lie, i'm excited for her to go back but i'm also a little bummed about it. Jordyn is at such a fun age, hanging with her all day is a blast. We literally have so much fun crafting and shopping and catching Pokemon. Ha!
Anyway, I know there will be lots of talk about ways to save money for back to school..shopping on a budget...back to school essentials and so on this month and that's all great, but what I want to talk about right now is different ways to give back and donate this back to school season.
On average, parents will spend over 100 dollars on back to school supplies for their k-12 student....and i'm just talking actual supplies...when you factor in clothes, shoes, and lunch expenses...the average household spends over 600 dollars on back to school. According to NCCP.ORG, about 45% of children in the U.S live in low income families. For these families, back to school time is just another stressful expense and while i'm well aware that we are all living on a budget, I strongly feel that those of us that are in any position to give back, should.
I live by the strong motto that nobody can help everyone but everyone can help someone, so with that in mind, here's a few ways we can give back this back to school season while sticking within our budget!
VOLUNTEER:
If you can't afford to donate physical supplies contact your local back to school drives or events and volunteer to receive, organize, and distribute the supplies that are being donated. This is the easiest way to get involved and help out your community without coming out of pocket. Most back to school events are huge deals so they are always looking for extra hands to help out.
DONATE SERVICES:
Older children from low income families, who are going through puberty and are concerned with how they are perceived and accepted by their peers often develop low self esteem due to the fact that their parents can't afford to focus on helping them "look good" while they're focusing on trying to afford the basics. Low self esteem often leads to poor performance in school, so, if you're a barber, stylist, nail tech or have any skill set to offer..donating your services for free for kids would work wonders in helping them feel more confident going back to school because really, when you feel good, you do good!
DONATE BOOKS:
According to Scholastics.com, in low income neighborhoods there is about 1 book per 300 children and school libraries in low income neighborhoods are often times closed. It's a proven fact that children that read at home develop stronger vocabularies and language skills but children from low income and poor families have access to such fewer reading materials than those of middle and upper class families, they fall behind academically. Picking up books at thrift stores or donating the books your child has outgrown are easy ways to help these families expose their children to more titles.
PURCHASE SUPPLIES:
We typically donate 100 dollars worth of supplies each season and since we know beforehand that this is the amount we like to donate, we budget and save for it. Whether its 20 dollars, 50 dollars, or 100 dollars....the key to being able to afford to donate items is to budget for it. Skip that Starbucks one day a week, throughout summer and by the time you go school shopping, you'll have saved enough to purchase extra items to donate.
Anything counts and I encourage you all to give back..remember, its our job to shape the world for this future generation.
Also, if you're in Vegas, KTNV news has a list of local back to school drives happening around the valley!
Xo, Jeanice