CLEVELAND, Ohio — As parents have frantically tried to check off their child’s school supplies over the past few weeks, many of them have struggled financially to do so.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, school supply prices have increased nearly 24% since 2021 due to inflation.
Ultimately, parents spend an average of nearly $900 before the first school bell of the new school year even rings. However, not all students show up on the first day with the supplies or clothing they need.
Educators help fill the gaps, spending anywhere from $5 to $750 out of pocket. Tuition costs are highest during the back-to-school season but continue to add up throughout the year.
I work with a local nonprofit that reduces the financial burden on educators.
A combination of new, larger facilities and continued community support equips students with the tools they need to succeed from day one.
“Teaching is a labor of love. It’s a calling. We don’t make a ton of money,” said Vermary Reyes.
While resources are tight every year, teachers like Reyes have always found a way to raise the money needed to equip their classrooms with supplies for students who show up without them.
“I have all the materials laid out and the kids can just go and pick out what they need. I’ll say, there are some crayons, go get some crayons,” Reyes said.
Reyes said in her 20 years as a teacher, she has spent about $2,000 of her own money to give her students the tools they need to succeed.
“It helps. They feel included, they feel part of the group. It’s not like they’re saying, ‘Oh, I don’t have my materials,'” Reyes said.
Thanks to the free shop at Shoes and Coats for Kids, she has now spent significantly less money. The nonprofit has moved into larger facilities in the Greater Cleveland Food Bank building.
“It’s a brighter, more pleasant space,” said Carolyn Sekerak of Shoes and Coats for Kids.
The expansion here could not have come at a better time.
“Demand is really high,” Sekerak said.
Inflation puts pressure on parents who have to choose between paying necessities like utility bills and buying essentials for the back-to-school period.
“The new clothes and school supplies will be the last thing they need because they depend on the schools to provide them,” Sekerak said. “And that’s where we come in.”
Shoes and Coats for Kids is expanding its distribution partner network in areas where demand has increased.
“This way we try to distribute more items to the students who need them,” Sekerak said.
Reyes is grateful to the people in our community who make all this possible through donations of goods and money.
She told me she feels so good when she leaves Shoes and Coats for Kids with a full shopping cart.
“I feel great knowing my kids have what they need,” Reyes said.
Teachers purchase an average of over $1,100 worth of products each time they shop and may visit multiple times a year. To gain access to the store, at least 60% of their school’s students must qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
