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back to school, backpacks, binders, childhood, clothes, collection drive, cost, crayons, donate, erasers, facial tissue, family, folders, glue sticks, kids, lions club, lions pride, markers, paper, pencils, poverty, ruler, sales, school supplies, shoes, shopping, stuff the bus, wipes, wisconsin
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The start of a new school year brings out a lot of emotions for children. Some kids may be happy to see all of their friends again, nervous about entering a new grade level or disappointed that they will soon need to say goodbye to the hot, lazy days of summer. Many parents may be happy to get their children back in a normal routine, nervous about the money they will need for back to school shopping or disappointed that they’re not more excited to get them back to school.
Would you believe that the average cost to send a child back to school amounts to about $630? Between school supplies, new clothes and shoes as well as electronics, the costs add up quickly. Studies have shown that children are more likely to be in compared to the rest of the population. A 2017 American Community Survey reports that in Wisconsin alone, approximately 1 in every six children is living in poverty compared to 1 out of every eight people in the state population.
Childhood poverty is still on the rise, which makes it difficult for families to find the resources they need to send their children back to school. This summer, you can help reduce the strain for parents by participating in an area Stuff the Bus Collection Drive.
Getting involved is easy. On your next shopping trip, take a walk down the school supplies aisle and purchase a few items to donate. Remember, retailers know that the new school year is right around the corner, so now is the perfect time to take advantage of sizzling sales. Below you’ll find supplies most commonly found on area lists:
- Anti-bacterial wipes
- Baby wipes
- Backpacks
- Binders – 3-ring, 1 ½” to 2”
- Binder Dividers – 5-tab set
- Bookbag
- Colored pencils
- Compass
- Crayons – 8 ct, 24 ct
- Facial tissue
- Flash drive
- Folders – 2 pocket
- Glue sticks
- Graphing paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Highlighters – Yellow
- Index cards (100 pack)
- Sharpie Ultra-fine – black
- Paper
- Loose-leaf notebook paper – wide-lined & college rule
- Paper towels
- Pencils – #2
- Pencil case – zippered for 3-ring binder
- Pencil sharpener
- Pens – ballpoint
- Pink erasers
- Printer paper – plain white
- Post-it notes
- Ruler – 12″ with inches & centimeters
- School box
- School glue
- Scissors – 4-5″ blunt & pointed tips
- Stapler – small
- Staples
- Spiral notebooks – single subject – wide lined & college rule
- Washable markers – Wide tip – 8 colors, Thin tip – 8-12 colors
- White out (nonliquid)
- Zip-lock bags – sandwich, quart & gallon
Then, find a Lions Stuff the Bus Drive near you. The official statewide collection drive is Saturday, August 11, but several clubs are running events throughout the month. We’d suggest talking with area Lions, visiting local club websites and searching Facebook for nearby events.
Lions Pride is a proud supporter of local Lion and Lioness Clubs hosting Stuff the Bus Collection Drives. Whether you donate a pack of loose-leaf paper or an armful of supplies, please know that your generosity has a huge impact for Wisconsin families. Thank you for helping us stuff the bus!
reflect on life’s greatest blessings. We love the message behind the holiday, but isn’t it ironic that less than 24 hours from now, many of us will be stampeding through retail stores to find this year’s newest tech gadget or a larger flat-screen TV? Why do we only get the one day to appreciate all that life has to offer, but multiple days dedicated to buying gifts?
gifts, share a large family meal or decorate lamp posts, but here at 
