Johnson County volunteers ease back-to-school burden for families in need

For many students, back to school season means raiding the aisles at local stores in a quest to get the right mix of recommended materials: pens, color-coordinated sets of folders and notebooks and more. With children's backpacks retailing at $14.99 and up, before any of those items fill it, shopping for school supplies is a financial burden some families cannot bear.

As Mary Larew sees it, that's where the community comes in.

“There's so many children who come from indigent families who can't afford all these things they need,” said Larew, coordinator of Johnson County's Homeless Children's Trust. “That's a lot of money for poor families to put out, especially if you have more than one child.”

Larew works with the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program, Shelter House, the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and MECCA Services to provide backpacks full of school supplies to Johnson County families of children in kindergarten through high school who are homeless or have been within three months of the start of the academic year and are now working with one of the programs' transitional housing arms.

This year, the longstanding program will provide backpacks, school supplies and new pairs of underwear and socks to 98 families who have requested assistance.

Jeanne Nunley, a housing compliance specialist for HACAP, estimated that the program took in $2,500 in donations for the start of this school year. About 60 percent of those funds went toward purchasing the clothing items and the remaining dollars will likely be used for a holiday party for families in need.

“People have been wonderful with donations this year,” Nunley said.

HACAP collected the new backpacks and unopened school supplies, which community members donated at drop boxes throughout Johnson County, and about 15 volunteers visited the organization's Waterfront Family Resource Center on Monday to fill the bags after others sorted the items by grade.

“I thought it would be a great project to help with,” said Vickie Guzman, of Iowa City, a first-time program volunteer who read about the initiative and decided to offer her time. “It's exciting.”

The 98 backpacks are an increase from the 87 requested last year, Larew said. The numbers have risen since the program began, she said, as has the amount of items schools recommend for each student.

People can pick up their backpacks from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 and 12 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15 at the center. Staff from the other organizations will pick up and distribute the bags for their families.

HACAP staff will set aside a few extra sets of backpacks and supplies for new families who require assistance from Shelter House. Remaining supplies – which often include glue, pencils and crayons – will be used in the center's Head Start classrooms. HACAP administers the local services for the federal Head Start school-readiness program for children ages 5 and under.

When the students receive their backpacks, Larew said “big smiles” often appear on their faces.

“They're always really happy and appreciative because they can spend that money on other things to keep the family going, like the electric bill for instance,” she said. “It's really rewarding when you see the families pick everything up.”