Many school districts across Arizona have opened their doors for the new school year, or are getting families ready for the new year starting in the coming weeks if classes haven’t started.
And with the start of school, comes school supply needs for families. And those costs can stack up quickly.
Families have reported seeing rises in costs for back-to-school supplies, as 39% of parents surveyed by Intuit Credit Karma said they can’t afford back-to-school shopping this year. One study estimated families will spend an average of $570 per child on school supplies.
In Arizona, the most affordable options to purchase school supplies can total in the low $100s, and the higher end can reach into the $400s on average. With the needs of families with school-aged children in mind, the Ability360 Home Care Services team had an idea: to give back to the families of caregivers who give so much to the disability community and those around them.
“The purpose is to give back to our caregivers and our consumers,” Ability360 Vice President of Home Care Services Penny Fore said. “We benefit so much from the work they do, and I feel that it is important that we give back, show our appreciation and help our consumers and caregivers with back-to-school expenses.
Members of the Home Care Services staff spent a morning early in the summer in the Ability360 conference room to pack hundreds of backpacks with the basics.
The team set up tables assembly line style. Staff members started by grabbing a backpack, packing it down the line with erasers, pencils, glue, notebooks and more.
“As you can see, we are making it a team-building event for our staff. It is a win-win for everyone. They get to give back, and have a good time while doing it,” Fore said.
Backpacks were made available by request for caregivers to pick up at Ability360. Families were able to take up to three backpacks to help with their back-to-school needs. The goal was to provide a resource.
One caregiver even made sure to pick one up for a young girl at her church whose family could use the help.
“I have grown children who are almost 100,” Verna Sye joked of her own adult children. “There is a little girl at my church – she is the sweetest little thing. This is her favorite color. I have been out of town so she hasn’t seen me. When I give it to her on Sunday she is going to love it. It means the world to me because I love helping people and this mother needs help.”
Another was able to get three backpacks to help her family avoid the large cost of supplying her children with needed supplies.
“It means a lot for us because, for my family, we are always on a tight income so any sort of assistance we can get to help the kids is the best thing we can do,” Sammantha Millar said. “We really appreciate it on the financial point, for us.”
In all, the staff packed and gave away 216 backpacks that were given to families of caregivers in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties.
Ability360 would like to thank our dedicated caregivers for the work they do.
If you are interested in joining our caregiver team, please visit this webpage.