The start of the school year is just around the corner.
We know, we know. We don’t want the summer to be over, either.
But part of that preparation for the seasons that come next was recently seen, as Justin Brown, Lisbon elementary principal mentioned at Lisbon’s recent school board meeting – the return of school supplies in store aisles.
For many of us, buying pencils, notebooks, folders, Kleenex and crayons and markers is just part of what it means to be returning to school. It’s a chore, sure, but it also indicates the beginning of a new school year.
For many, however, those same school supplies are an added strain on the already tight family budget. When that same budget has to pay for food, emergencies and rent or housing, that extra $100 for school supplies can be the struggle between which bill goes unpaid or what portions of the budget gets crunched. It may be especially difficult this year with the cost of some supplies increasing due to shortages.
Southeast Linn Community Center has just concluded their annual school supply giveaway to help many families who needed the help. Registration deadline for the supplies was Wednesday, July 7, with the distribution date July 28 from 5 to 7 p.m.
As SELCC mentioned in a press release on the CARES Act funding they received, from March 2020 through June 2021, the food pantry served more than 658 individuals or roughly 9.5 percent of the population in Mount Vernon and Lisbon. And for that 9.5 percent who asked for help, there are probably still more out there who could have qualified for it to begin with.
Kudos to SELCC and the members of this community who help fundraise and provide supplies needed for many students in our community every year to help them prepare for school’s doors opening in just a few weeks time.
Sun Editorial: Kudos to school supply drives helping locals
July 29, 2021