11 Cares

How you can help low-income families with school supplies

PITTSBURGH — Summer is winding down and it’ll soon be time for kids to go back to school.

Back to school means shopping not just for clothes and shoes – but also school supplies – which can get expensive.

The Education Partnership randomly pulled school supply lists from local elementary schools to calculate the average cost of all those pencils, dry erase markers, glue sticks and more.

They found families in the Pittsburgh area will spend an average of $63 per child on required school supplies for the upcoming year.

"With shrinking education budgets, the burden of buying school supplies falls on families, and for families struggling to make ends meet, purchasing school supplies is not always an option," said Josh Whiteside, Executive Director of The Education Partnership.

The Education Partnership provides school supplies to teachers and students at low-income schools.

Last year, they helped nearly 45,000 local students. This year, the need is 55,000 students.

The Education Partnership is also holding its annual Back to School Drive at 47 area Giant Eagle and Market District locations starting July 25. People can donate at the checkout counter through September 4.

On August 17, 11 Cares and its partners – CNX, Dollar Bank, Gateway Health, Giant Eagle and Vitalant - are hosting a Pack the Bus school supplies drive which benefits The Education Partnership.

Donations can be dropped off at six Giant Eagle locations. Additionally, you can donate to The Education Partnership by texting PENCIL to 41444.

You can find more information on the Pack the Bus event HERE.