Back-to-school season kicks off with donation drives for students

The back-to-school season is approaching as summer heat still lingers.

As students transition from July to August, many families are still struggling to secure the supplies needed for a successful school year.

Here are some ways you can help support students as they head back to the classroom for another year.

The Education Partnership

Over the weekend, The Education Partnership, a nonprofit that helps provide school supplies to students and teachers in Southwestern Pennsylvania, held their annual “Pack the Bus Event.”

On Aug. 11, The Education Partnership will be holding their “Bazzy and Bubba Backpack Brigade” for the 11th year in a row, to collect both new and gently used backpacks as well as school supplies for under-resourced schools.

The drive will take place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Shults Ford in Wexford.

Kiki Reis, advancement director for The Education Partnership, said Bazzy and Bubba is the only event they hold specifically for backpack donations.

Having a backpack for the school year helps increase attendance and creativity for children in school, Reis said.

“It brings dignity to students,” she said.

The organization aims to help over 82,000 students and 12,000 teachers from 231 schools through their back-to-school collections.

For those who are unable to attend the Bazzy and Bubba event, there are other ways to donate, including through an online form, by hosting a supply drive or by shipping or dropping off anything from pencils to filing cabinets.

North Hills Community Outreach

North Hills Community Outreach is an organization that focuses on the needs of people in crisis, hardship and poverty in Northern Allegheny County. Its “Back-to-School Sharing Project” is going on now until Aug. 10.

To donate, visit the website’s Get Involved page. Linked on the site is an Amazon wishlist to select items such as loose-leaf paper and mechanical art pencils for donation.

Items can also be dropped off at all three of the North Hills Community Outreach offices, in Allison Park, Millvale or Pittsburgh, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army Pittsburgh Homewood-Brushton Worship and Service Center is hosting a Back-to-School Bash for local students in grades pre-K to eighth from Pittsburgh, Penn Hills and Wilkinsburg school districts.

The event begins at noon on Aug. 13, and runs until 3 p.m.

Students who attend the event will receive fresh haircuts for the start of the school year and have the opportunity to receive new school uniforms and clothing, as resources allow.

To donate to this event, visit The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania website.

Homeless Children’s Education Fund

Since 2006, the Homeless Children’s Education Fund has been collecting and distributing backpacks for Pittsburgh students’ first day of back-to-school.

“Our annual backpack program ensures that on that important first day of school, children experiencing homelessness have a brand-new backpack filled with age-appropriate school supplies,” the website said.

Through the nonprofit, over 1,800 backpacks were delivered to children and youth in 2021.

With August only a few days away, Homeless Children’s Education Fund staff and volunteers will be sorting and distributing donated items to homeless housing providers and agencies in the Pittsburgh area.

To add to the number of school bags being donated, visit their website.

South Hills Interfaith Movement

The South Hills Interfaith Movement is collecting “most needed” items, which includes three-ring binders, earbuds and headphones, spiral notebooks, pencil cases, pencils, index cards, markers, crayons and glue for students in need.

“Getting kids excited to go back to school has never been so important, and we are making sure students have what they need to succeed,” the website said.

All donation supplies should be dropped off at South Hills Interfaith Movement Center, in Bethel Park, by Aug. 1 at 4 pm. Donations are accepted Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you’re unable to drop off supplies, South Hills Interfaith Movement accepts donations online.