School will soon be back in session, which means parents will be expected to provide numerous supplies for the classroom. In 2022, The Morning Consult published a story which discussed why purchasing school supplies is a burden for some parents. According to their study, only 36 percent of parents said that they could afford the items their children needed for school. In 2023, Feed the Children, a non-profit organization cited a report from The National Retail Foundation, which said that the average family with children in grades K – 12 would shell out over $800 on school supplies alone. The study noted that this cost does factor in the possibility of electronic supplies, including everything from calculators to laptops and ear buds. Even if a parent doesn’t need to provide a computer for a student, the cost of school supplies can be daunting for single-parent families, families with multiple children, or for families living paycheck-to-paycheck. Many communities around the country will host back-to-school drives in order to combat some of the problems parents face when trying to shell out extra money for school supplies. The First Pentecostal Church of Noxapater will host a back-toschool bash for members of the community on August 3 at 10:00 PM. Every school-aged child will get a backpack with supplies. The Junior Auxiliary of Louisville is also hosting a special event to fundraise for backto-school supplies. A Back-to-School Bingo event will be held on August 4, 2024 from 2 PM – 4 PM at the Louisville Dome. For an entry fee of $20 – or a donation of $20 worth of school supplies – individuals from the community are invited to come and play bingo. Entrants may put their name in the hat for a “grand prize” to be given away, and refreshments will be served at the event. Legion State Park hosted a back-to-school drive which ran from July 15 – 22. Anyone wishing to do so could drop school supply donations at the gatehouse between 9 AM – 4 PM. Donations will go to area schools. Park officials did say that they are still open to taking any donations until August 9 th . Winston County First Responders – the Louisville Police Department, Louisville Fire Department, and Winston County Sheriff’s Office - are also hosting a back to school drive tentatively scheduled for August 12. Supplies may be dropped off at the Louisville Police Department parking lot from 8 – 4.
