Bronx community leaders tackle rising school supply costs with local drives

From the Bronx Burger House school supply drive: Each backpack donated contains a pencil case, notebooks, folders, markers, pencils, a sharpener, a ruler and crayons.

GARY JEAN-JUSTE

The Bronx has been the forgotten borough. We are doing our part to change that narrative.”

Laura Levine-Pinedo

While kids may be dreading the upcoming school year for the usual reasons, some parents are grappling with a different kind of stress, financial pressure.

With the rising cost of both after-school childcare and school supplies, many families find this time of year especially challenging. In response, the community has rallied to fill this gap and ensure every student is prepared for success in the classroom.

Among those leading the local effort is Laura Levine-Pinedo, founder of the 4BronxProject and interim executive director of the Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Alliance. 

“The Bronx has been the forgotten borough,” Levine-Pinedo said. “We are doing our part to change that narrative.”

For the past four years, she has been organizing a school drive that has significantly reduced the material inequality gap between students throughout the borough. This year, her organization has been able to redirect 500 bookbags to students in need, which have been distributed at various shelters and giveaway events across the Bronx.

For this success, she credits partners Regal Pharmacy, Amazon of Maspeth and Barbara Zentner, Sylvia Gottlieb, and Janet Neufeld, who packed more than 200 bookbags full of supplies. 

For anyone still looking for assistance, Levine-Pinedo recommends reaching out via email to laura4bronx@gmail.com.

While the supply of bookbags is now limited, the 4BronxProject said it is committed to helping as many families as possible. Beyond just school supplies, many community members affiliated with the organization are eager to assist with clothing donations and other household item needs.

Levine-Pinedo said most individuals and families live paycheck to paycheck, so it is difficult to allocate additional income for school supplies as the new school year approaches. Over the years, she said she has observed a substantial shift in the community’s needs.

“People who once donated are asking for assistance,” she said. “The cost of living has affected all communities, including ours.” 

A disproportionate rise in the cost of school supplies since the pandemic has only added to the strain. One study by the labor department found school supplies costs have increased 24.5 percent over the past four years. Many schools are also publishing longer and more specific supply lists, especially for older kids in programs requiring advanced calculators and other technological devices.

According to Deloitte’s annual school survey, parents are projected to spend an average of $586 per K to 12 child on back-to-school preparation this year, including clothing, supplies, and other essentials — a $60 increase since 2020. 

Shantel Walton, a local parent, said when her son was in elementary school, she would always send extra supplies along with her son’s to cover the whole classroom for the year, including prizes for classroom games.

“I encourage those that can give more to cover single parents and families in need,” Walton said. “Teachers need supplies as well.”

Another successful school supply drive running until Aug 26 is a collaboration between Bronx Burger House, and La Escuelita de Sofia, the dual-language preschool on Mosholu Avenue, with donations being accepted at the restaurant from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and at the school from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

After sufficient donations are received, the students will help assemble everything in backpacks as part of a school lesson designed to teach them the importance of giving. All supplies from this drive will be donated to the housing organization Bronxworks, which will then redistribute to other students around the borough. 

Julissa Freire, the director of La Escuelita de Sofia, believes there is a lot of energy to support kids in the area, particularly from current or former parents.

“We are confident the community of Riverdale will help us collect school supplies for children less fortunate,” she said.