NEW BRITAIN, Conn — The new school year is off to a great start for 300 New Britain middle school students who received new backpacks and essential school supplies earlier this week courtesy of the International WeLoveU Foundation.
The students at Slade Middle School in New Britain were given the supplies during sixth-grade orientation night, according to the foundation.
Principal Kerri-Lynn Major stressed that preparation is half the battle and the biggest first step entering the school year.
“As a parent myself, we want to be able to provide for our children. It feels good to get them what they need, and that’s not always easy,” Major said, adding that the donations will help “students to feel confident and prepared.”
The foundation cites research claiming that back-to-school supply spending has risen by 25% since 2022. The data notes that, on average, families with children in elementary to high school spend around $890 on school items.
While the foundation suggests that inflation is the lowest since March 2021, the high cost of supplies is difficult for families trying to balance their budgets. It leads to a reliance on back-to-school donation drives, the foundation said.
B.J. Hu, executive director of the foundation, said that it is incredibly rewarding to see the smiles on the faces of students as they receive their new backpacks and supplies.
“Our Packs on Backs initiative provides school essentials, inspires confidence and excitement, and relieves some of the financial burden on families,” Hu said. “We are thankful to our volunteers and donors whose generosity makes this possible.”
Launched in 2020 as part of WeLoveU’s Closing the Homework Gap initiative, the Packs on Backs and Tools for Schools program has helped ease the financial burden on families in under-resourced communities.
The program originally provided devices for remote learning and now offers new backpacks and school supplies.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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