The United Way of San Diego County (UWSD) extended its annual “Back To School Drive” through Sept. 9 to gather new supplies for local students and families in need.
The public can make donations at UWSD's online gift registry at uwsd.org/B2S or by making a monetary donation directly to the nonprofit. The organization is looking for a variety of new school supply donations, including pens, pencils, erasers, books, notebooks, backpacks, and more.
The non-profit began the drive on July 18 to gather new supplies for local students and families in need.
“With families in our community still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, buying new school supplies can be a challenge, especially with the continued rise in inflation,” says Nancy L. Sasaki, president, and CEO, of United Way of San Diego County. “We hope to provide some relief to those households in need of support and, in turn, give their students an equal opportunity to start the school year on the right track.”
According to a recent study, the impact of the pandemic on students in grades K-12 was significant, with those learning remotely experiencing greater declines than those learning in person. High-poverty schools spent 5.5 more weeks in remote learning than low-poverty schools.
Researchers also found a “higher incidence of remote schooling for Black and Hispanic students.” These numbers exacerbate the already significant educational and opportunity gaps that our diverse students face.
The drive is sponsored by Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, which is an independent member of the Blue Shield Association, Navy Federal Credit Union, and Higgs Fletcher & Mack.
For more information and ways to get involved, visit uwsd.org/B2S.
