$11 Donation to Help Distribute School Supplies

The Issue: Students Unable to Afford School Supplies

About 57% of students in California were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches in 2011, according to data from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. For these students and their families, obtaining basic necessities such as food and housing can be a challenge that overshadows and prevents the purchase of school supplies. According to a 2010 report from Time magazine, teachers often end up buying school supplies with money out of their own pockets, with those in budget-strapped California schools spending an average of $1,500 annually to help students who cannot afford their own. But owning a set of school supplies, such as pencils and paper, can make all the difference to students—it makes it easier to complete work at home and eliminates the stigma of borrowing supplies at school.

The Campaign: Distributing School Supplies to Students

If 40 people donate $11 to this Grassroots campaign, then K to College can distribute school- and dental-supply kits to 20 students who are enrolled in the free or reduced-price meal program. Packed in a canvas tote bag, the age-specific kits contain a dental-hygiene set and more than 20 school supplies, such as notebooks, pens, colored pencils, and an erasable whiteboard. Each additional $22 raised will purchase a supply kit for an additional student.