United Way Of San Diego County

Back To School Drive’ Prepares Local Students And Families For The New School Year

Over the last two years, communities across San Diego County have faced increasing hardships. The COVID-19 pandemic placed an unprecedented burden on many families already experiencing financial instability. The challenges that come with living in a post-pandemic world continue to affect those in need.

As inflation takes center stage, gas and grocery prices continue to rise, making it difficult for families everywhere to make ends meet, especially for those still facing challenges brought on by the pandemic. To help those most vulnerable to these inequities, United Way of San Diego County (UWSD) is collecting new school supplies, including pens, pencils, erasers, books, notebooks, backpacks, and much more. Essential tools like these will allow students to start the school year off on the right track and help ensure they will not fall even further behind.

According to a recent study, the impact of the pandemic on students in grades K-12 was significant, leaving students on average five months behind in math and four months behind in reading by the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. Additionally, “summer slide” can cause a loss of learning, especially for students in low-income communities. It is more important than ever that students begin their academic year prepared and confident to help guarantee success.

For over 100 years, UWSD has aligned with partners to address inequities in the region and help underserved communities. The nonprofit’s specialty lies in identifying sustainable, long-term goals and achieving them through leveraging data and partners’ expertise to better understand root causes and implement impactful solutions.

“Inflation is at an all-time high and, on top of that, families in our community are still trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic, including loss of wages, adverse housing conditions, and many more challenges,” United Way of San Diego County President and CEO, Nancy L. Sasaki shares with GB Magazine. “If we can provide a little relief to these families through new supplies, not only will we be giving their students an equal start to the school year, but also bridging the disparity gap in our region. We are grateful for the support of our corporate sponsors, Blue Shield California Promise Health Plan, Higgs Fletcher & Mack, and Navy Federal Credit Union, as well as individual community members who have contributed.”

UNITED WE CAN! Let’s help students in need better prepare for a successful school year. In turn, we will reduce inequities in education throughout San Diego County. With this goal in mind, UWSD is hosting its annual “Back to School Drive” through August 15 to gather new supplies to support local students and families in need as they head back to school this fall. We encourage you to take part in the positive transformation of students’ lives by donating new school supplies through its online gift registry or by making a monetary donation directly to the nonprofit to support its ongoing efforts to ensure that students have the tools and stability they need at home to succeed in school.

All school supplies will be delivered and distributed to local students. For more ways to get involved, visit www.uwsd.org/school.