Monday, August 20, 2012

Help Teachers and Children with Elmer's Bag It Forward Back to School Supplies



I have always loved the beginning of the school year. It was a fresh start with so much to look forward to learning. New teachers, new students and new back to school items were wonderful. For many families back to school can also be stressful due to the cost of getting kids ready for the new school year. I want to make difference in the lives of kids in my area. Helping with back to school supplies is a simple and great way to help out.

My son is not yet in school but I still feel the need to help out other children for this exciting time of year. I have worked with a wonderful charity Champions for Kids in the past and was thrilled to learn they were having a Elmer's Bag It Forward campaign as the Simple Service Project for the month of August. There is still plenty of time to make a donation. Champions for Kids has many great ideas on how anyone can help. As an individual or as a group. You can host a back to school neighborhood party where you asks your guest to bring school supplies to add to the big donation. You can have a school supply drive at your work or church. You can also shop with your own family to gather supplies at the store to donate.


My son and I shopped at Walmart for our donation since I knew it would be a great store to find low prices. You can give your donation to a local teacher, charity or food bank. Many food banks will be able to make sure your donation goes to kids who need the items. We are planning to donate our items to a local elementary school teacher.

Many of the items at Walmart were $0.50 or $1 like this Elmer's Glue.

If you are unsure of what to buy for back to school supplies look inside your local Walmart. They have a big Elmer's display that contains lists by grade for the items needed. If your shopping for your own kids too it would be a great time to show them how they can help select a few items for other kids.



I have selected the elementary school since its in my own neighborhood. I picked a second grade teacher since my second grade teacher was awesome and so was the school I went to at that time. We drive by the school all the time on the way to the park and store. The kids that go to that school are the same ones that play at the park my son goes to, the parents are the ones who shop at the local stores we do. It feels awesome to be able to help a teacher and her students that are a part of my own neighborhood. There have been cut backs in the school district in our area. Teachers often have a large out of pocket expense to make up for the lack of supplies and I feel great knowing we will do our part to help. Since we shopped in the local Walmart in our neighborhood about 10 minutes from the school we were able to get 47 items for $26! That is a lot of supplies that will be used by kids that live near by.


 If you do not know of a charity or school in need but would still like to donate you can look in your local Walmart in the back to school area or near the check out lines for the Champions for Kids Elmer's Bag It Forward donation box. Its an easy way to be able to help local kids.



Anyone can participate in a Simple Service Project from Champions for Kids. Its a great way to get your family, friends and kids excited about back to school by helping out other kids with a Elmer's Bag It Forward donation. #BagItForward #Champions4Kids

You can read my Google+ story for ideas on what to buy for your Elmer's Bag It Forward donation.

My son had a blast helping me shop and organize the items we plan to donate.

Some info from the Champions for Kids site about the Elmer's Bag It Forward campaign: 

Did You Know?

• Teachers spend an average of $356 out-of-pocket on quality school supplies every single year. Many
spend up to $1500 just to provide basic classroom necessities.

• More than 31 million students from low-income families receive free or reduced-price school
lunches. Their parents often find it challenging to buy project boards, scissors, paper and glue. It’s
been proven that having quality supplies is important to building a child’s confidence and self-esteem
which, in turn, supports educational accomplishments.



*I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Champions for Kids #CBias #SocialFabric All opinions expressed in this post are my own.
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4 comments

Amber Edwards said...

I love that your son was involved! I took my kids shopping for supplies for this campaign too! They were a big help reminding me just what school supplies they actually use in their classes. It's such a fantastic organization!

Kathy Murphy said...

It's amazing what you can get for around $25 -- it makes such a difference to these kids too! Great Job.

Laura O in AK said...

Wow! That is one big bag full of school supplies ready to donate. I love having the kids get involved with giving back. It's never too early to learn how good helping others can make you feel.

Mama Luvs Books said...

AWESOME AWESOME job!!!! I love that you are donating to a school that has meaning to you! And your donation is HUGE! Love it!

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